By 3 News online staff
Today marks three years since a tragic balloon crash claimed 11 lives in Carterton, in the Wairarapa.
An inquiry into the accident found the pilot of the scenic flight, Lance Hopping, to be at fault when he made an error of judgement resulting in the hot air balloon hitting power lines and bursting into flames on January 7, 2012.
The inquest also found Mr Hopping had cannabis in his system at the time of the accident, a finding which prompted stricter rules for adventure tourism operators.
The accident was the deadliest air disaster involving a New Zealand aircraft since an Air New Zealand flight crashed into Mt Erebus in 1979, claiming 257 lives.
Last month members of two local fire brigades were honoured for their bravery and compassion in responding to the crash.
The 11 victims of the crash, six of whom were originally from Wairarapa, were:
- Valerie Bennett, 70
- Diana Cox, 63
- Howard Cox, 71
- Ann Dean, 65
- Desmond Dean, 70
- Denise Dellabarca, 58
- Belinda Harter, 49
- Stephen Hopkirk, 50
- Lance Hopping, 53
- Johannes Jordaan, 21
- Alexis Still, 19
3 News
source: newshub archive
