Rose's Blog

A hot air balloon explosion claims the life of a Wright County man.

The Highway Patrol says it happened around 8:30 Sunday morning near Mountain Grove. That's where four men were taking turns riding in a hot air balloon that was tied to a pick-up truck.

When Bill Blair, 49, went up, a propane tank on board started leaking, causing an explosion and fire. Blair reportedly jumped from about 75 feet up and died.

Another man, Elmer Lane, 35, tried to pull Blair from the burning wreckage and was injured by another exploding tank.

Lane is recovering at a Springfield hospital.

The Highway Patrol says the group was not experienced in this kind of flight. The agency has notified the FAA.

Witnesses call Blair a good friend and a hard worker who ran a construction company. Sunday's crash has people in the hot air balloon business talking. We spoke with Shane Robinson, the owner of Balloon Sport USA.

Robinson's company was not affiliated with today's accident, but after twenty years experience in the sky, he says he knows about the safety needed to pilot a balloon.

Robinson tells us balloon accidents are actually very rare when compared to the number of flights each year.

The industry is regulated by the FAA. Anyone who flies a hot air balloon must have training and a license from that agency.