Cornelius van der Walt id as Arizona hot air balloon pilot, describe as superb pilot, an adventurer and good man as authorities have yet to say what caused crash just outside Eloy that killed four and seriously injured one.
Friends and loved ones are paying tribute to the ‘superb’ pilot who died alongside three passengers in a hot air balloon crash in the Arizona desert over the weekend.
Cornelius van der Walt has been identified as the pilot in the Sunday morning crash that left four dead – including a 28-year-old nurse – and one seriously injured in Eloy, Pinal County.
Friends and admirers described him as an ‘adventurer’ and ‘good man’ on social media. One commentator stated van der Walt having ‘mad skills in so many ways’ along with being ‘one h**l of a good man’. Others thanked him for the impact he had on their lives and offered their condolences to his family.
Hailed as good man and superb pilot
Along with 28 year old Indiana native, Katie Bartrom, the other 2 fatalities were identified as Chayton Wiescholek, 28, Atahan Kiliccote, 24. Remaining in critical condition was Valerie Stutterheim, 23, of Scottsdale, Arizona.
In total, four were killed and one person seriously injured when the hot air balloon with thirteen people – eight skydivers, four passengers and a pilot, crashed into the desert around five miles north of the city of Eloy at around 7.50am.
Preliminary information from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) shows that the balloon crashed following an ‘unspecified problem’ with its envelope.
Van der Walt was a ‘character, an adventurer, a friend’, his friend Phil Brandt wrote of the ‘tragic’ incident in an emotional Facebook post.
‘Today, 4 people lost their lives, including my friend,’ he wrote, sharing how van der Walt was one of ‘very few balloon pilots [to] take up skydivers’.
Beloved pilot remembered
Brandt, seemingly a fellow balloon pilot, added: ‘I’m so sorry that this one flight will likely be what the public will remember you for.
‘Just know that so many others, including myself, know that you were one hell of a good man and a superb pilot.’
Bob Romaneschi, owner of Snohomish Balloon Rides in Washington, said the pilot ‘took skydiving and ballooning very serious’. The pair reportedly met in 2018 when they collaborated on a stunt to celebrate National Aviation Day.
‘Today we learned he took his last Balloon flight, and it did not end well. The tragedy took his, and the lives of at least three others. One person is still in critical condition,’ Romaneschi wrote.
He encouraged others not to speculate on ‘what might’ve happened’ and asked that everyone ‘take some time and not pass judgment’, saying: ‘Let those who can digest their investigations and their findings report back to us.’
Cause of crash remains unknown
He also thanked van der Walt for making him part of the project six years ago, saying the experience was ‘incredible’, and issued his condolences to all the victims.
‘RIP Cornelius. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and those who perished with you,’ he concluded.
Friend Jose Salinas also paid tribute to the pilot, writing: ‘Rip bro. One of the coolest and humble men I’ve ever met. God bless u and the family.’
Messages for van der Walt were flooding in just hours after the family of Katie Bartrom, 28, revealed she was among those who died in the crash.
Bartrom’s mother told ABC15 that the young woman, a registered nurse had loved skydiving and adventure.
Eloy Police Chief Byron Gwaltney told reporters the balloon came from outside the city and the skydivers intended to touch down at the Eloy Municipal Airport, just down the road from the scene of the accident.
Eloy known as ‘the skydiving capital of the world.’
‘The incident appeared to occur very quickly,’ he added, calling it ‘an absolute tragedy’ for the community.
A witness who saw the last 10 seconds of the balloon’s descent described it as shapeless, deflated and coming straight down, Eloy Mayor Micah Powell said.
The eight skydivers leaped from the aircraft before the incident, leaving five people on board.
Gwaltney added: ‘What we know at this point is the skydivers were able to exit the balloon without incident and completed their planned skydiving event, and then shortly thereafter something catastrophic happened with the balloon causing it to crash to the ground.’
One person was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other three died at a hospital. Another passenger remains in critical condition at a Phoenix-area trauma center.
‘Out of respect for their privacy, the names of the victims are being withheld at this time pending notification of next of kin,’ the Eloy Police Department said in a press release.
‘The Eloy Police Department extends its deepest condolences to the families and friends of those involved in this heartbreaking incident.’
In the immediate aftermath, investigators were observed walking across the face of the mangled balloon and folding it up before carrying it away.
Federal agencies including the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration continue to look into the incident.
An NTSB spokesperson said preliminary information shows that the balloon crashed following an ‘unspecified problem’ with its envelope.
Eloy, a small town with a population just over 15,000, and some 65 miles northwest of Phoenix is known as ‘the skydiving capital of the world.’
