The pilot of a hot air balloon that crashed in Arizona in January, killing him and three passengers did not have ketamine in his body when the balloon fell, contrary to initial reports from officials earlier this week.
Ketamine is an anesthetic that can cause dissociation and hallucinations. Pilot Cornelius Van Der Walt, founder of Droplyne Hot Air Balloon Rides, didn’t have a prescription for the drug, the autopsy from the Pinal County Medical Examiner’s Office said.
In the original version of the autopsy report, medical officials said that ketamine was never administered to Van Der Walt, implying that he had the drug in his body at the time of the crash.
After receiving new information from the Eloy Police Department, medical officials released an amended report Friday, clarifying that Van Der Walt was given 35 milligrams of the drug after the crash by Air Evac Services.
On Jan. 14, the balloon rose above Eloy, Arizona.
The basket had 12 passengers along with the pilot, and eight of them skydived to safety at 5,000 feet, per the autopsy report. After the skydivers left, the plane deflated slightly and dropped to 4,000 feet. It then appeared to regain control before beginning a free fall to the desert floor at 2,000 feet.
The skydivers safely on the ground saw the balloon descend with the top part partially deflated, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
That top part, or envelope, had heat-related damage, the NTSB said.
In addition to Van Der Walt, 37, three of the four passengers who didn’t skydive also died: Kaitlynn Bartrom, 28, Chayton Wiescholek, 28, and Atahan Kiliccote, 24.
The fourth passenger, Valerie Stutterheim, 23, survived but suffered a traumatic brain injury, according to The Arizona Republic.
On its website, the Droplyne company wrote, “Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of those who lost loved ones in that accident, and we hope and pray for a full recovery for the surviving member of that group,” adding that it ceased all services.
The NTSB continues to work on a full report.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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