New details in Arizona fatal hot air balloon crash revealed in toxicology report
Update: Changes have been made in this article to reflect an amendment to the autopsy report provided by Pinal County officials.
PHOENIX — The pilot of a hot air balloon that crashed in Arizona and left four dead sustained severe injuries during the accident, according to a Pinal County autopsy and toxicology report.
Cornelius van der Walt, 37, had "large scalp contusions," according to the report. He also suffered numerous rib fractures, muscle injuries, a brain hemorrhage and abrasions all over his body. The autopsy states those combined injuries led to his death.
Van der Walt was piloting the aircraft when it fell in January. He and three other people — Chayton Wiescholek, 28, of Union City, Michigan; Kaitlynn Bartrom, 28, of Andrews, Indiana; and Atahan Kiliccote, 24, of Cupertino, California — died in the crash. One other passenger was seriously injured.
The balloon, a Kubicek BB 85, was operated by Droplyne Hot Air Balloon Rides and was manufactured in 2011. Van der Walt, a resident of Eloy who was originally from South Africa, was the owner of the company.
The balloon had been carrying 13 people at takeoff. Eight of them were skydivers who had left the craft before issues arose.
Those who knew Van der Walt described him as experienced and safety-minded. Since the incident, his company has suspended their services.
"Given the recent incident on 14 of January, we have abruptly halted all services, digital and physical. This has been nothing short of a shock for all those involved, so forgive us for not being able to process your requests in a more timely manner," Droplyne Hot Air Balloon Rides wrote in a statement on its website.
Investigation continues into crash
Investigators are continuing to probe the crash. The balloon went down after an "unspecified problem" with its "envelope" — the large bag that fills with hot air to make the aircraft rise, according to a Jan. 15 statement from the National Transportation Safety Board.
The federal agency on Jan. 25 released a preliminary report stating that before the balloon hit the ground, the craft was already deflated with the burner on.
"A review of multiple mobile phone videos revealed that the balloon was descending with a deflated envelope trailing from above," the report read. "Additionally, at times the burner flame under the envelope was observed."
The report also showed thermal damage near the mouth of the envelope. Sewn rim tape material at the top of the envelope was frayed and several of its panels were damaged.
Additionally, two toxicology panels — one conducted by NMS Labs on behalf of the Pinal County Medical Examiner's Office and another by the Federal Aviation Administration — found ketamine in Van der Walt's blood.
The panels indicated his blood ketamine content was about 60 times the threshold established by the United Kingdom as being indicative of impaired driving. A threshold for impairment was not immediately available from a U.S. source.
That could have been due to the drug being administered to Van der Walt by medics as he was en route to the hospital after the crash, Pinal County officials said Friday morning.
Van der Walt didn't have a known ketamine prescription. The autopsy initially stated the drug wasn't used in resuscitation efforts, but Pinal County officials later said that was incorrect.
Medics did give Van der Walt ketamine as part of resuscitation efforts while transporting him to the hospital, county officials said. Ketamine is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to be used as a general anesthetic.
The NTSB says crash investigations can take between one to two years before they're complete and a final report is available, according to the agency's website.
Sasha Hupka covers county government and regional issues for The Arizona Republic. Do you have a tip to share? Reach her at sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SashaHupka. Follow her on Threads: @sashahupkasnaps.
Perry Vandell is a public safety and breaking news reporter for The Arizona Republic. He can be reached at perry.vandell@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @PerryVandell.