Hot air balloon was deflated before crash that killed 4 in Eloy, NTSB report finds

The envelope of the hot air balloon flight that left 4 dead and one critically injured on Jan.14, was already deflated with the burner on, before the balloon hit the ground, according to a preliminary report released on Thursday from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The envelope is the portion of a hot air balloon that looks like a balloon.

Operated by Droplyne Hot Air Balloon Rides, the Kubicek 85 balloon had been carrying 13 people at takeoff — eight of them were skydivers who had left the craft before issues arose, police said. The crash occurred early Jan. 14 near Sunshine Boulevard and Hanna Road in Eloy, about 65 miles south of Phoenix, according to Eloy police.

Flight details from the report said the flight departed from Casa Grande with Eloy as the destination, and that a "few minutes" after the eight skydivers jumped from the balloon, the balloon began to descend towards the ground with a deflated envelope.

"A review of multiple mobile phone videos revealed that the balloon was descending with a deflated envelope trailing from above," the release read. "Additionally, at times the burner flame under the envelope was observed."

Though some observed a visible flame from under the envelope, the report stated there was no aircraft fire or explosion.

The report revealed that the envelope remained attached to the basket at the accident site and that there was thermal damage shown near the mouth of the envelope. There was damage near the top of the envelope as the sewn rim tape material near the top of the envelope was frayed and several of the panels were damaged.

The rest of the "wreckage" was relocated to a secure facility for further examination, according to NTSB.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: NTSB releases report on fatal hot air balloon crash near Eloy