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FAA implements hot air balloon legislation following 2016 crash that killed 16 people

The crash in Lockhart marked the deadliest commercial balloon crash in U.S. history and the worst aviation disaster since 2009.

AUSTIN, Texas — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposed Tuesday a rule requiring commercial hot air balloon pilots to hold medical certificates when operating for hire. 

This comes years after a fatal hot air balloon crash that killed 16 people in Lockhart back in 2016. The rule proposed by the FAA implements balloon safety legislation authored by State Rep. Lloyd Doggett in 2018.

The crash marked the deadliest commercial balloon crash in U.S. history and the worst aviation disaster since 2009.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said that the FAA's refusal to require balloon operations to obtain a medical certificate contributed to the crash.

It took the FAA five years since the crash and three years since Doggett's authored legislation was passed for the agency to begin the rulemaking process, which he said has taken far too long.

“The action FAA has proposed today comes far too late to bring so many innocent lives back,” said Congressman Doggett. “While a welcome step, FAA must move promptly and implement a final rule to ensure no more families will be exposed to the horror of a crash from an impaired pilot.”

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