Officials on Sunday named the five people who died in a hot air balloon crash In Albuquerque on Saturday.
New Mexico State Police identified the pilot as 62-year-old Nicholas Meleski and the four passengers as Susan Montoya, 65; John Montoya, 61; Mary Martinez, 59; and Martin Martinez, 62.
All five had ties to the Albuquerque Public School District.
“Albuquerque public schools as a family, and today we’re all mourning the deaths of Sergeant Marty Martinez, his wife Mary, Susan Montoya, who was an assistant principal at Georgia O’Keeffe Elementary, her husband John Montoya, a special education assistant at Sandia High School, and Nicholas Meleski, the balloon pilot and father of school and crisis counselor Kristy MacIntire,” Albuquerque Public Schools Superintendent Scott Elder said. “For Albuquerque public schools, this loss is unprecedented. Never before have we experienced the loss of so many in one incident.”
Witnesses told authorities that the balloon descended toward the ground around 7:30 a.m. Saturday and struck an overhead power line.
The gondola detached from the envelope and fell about 100 feet. It crashed in the median of a busy city street before catching on fire, authorities said.
The envelope of the balloon floated away, eventually landing on a residential rooftop.
State Police said John Montoya died at a hospital from his injuries, while the other victims were declared dead at the crash scene.
“Our deepest condolences to all the victims, their families, friends, colleagues and the countless individuals that may have been touched at some point by the victim,” Superintendent Elder said. “Sergeant Martinez, Susan and John Montoya collectively served this district over 32 years. That means in there are many capacities that impacted the lives of thousands of students, staff and others.”
The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration will be investigating the cause of the crash.
The NTSB sent two investigators to the scene and will look into the pilot, the balloon itself and the operating environment, according to agency spokesman Peter Knudson.
