An autopsy report has been updated to reveal that the pilot of a hot air balloon that tragically crashed in Arizona, resulting in the deaths of four individuals, had been administered an anesthetic after the incident. The Pinal County Medical Examiner’s Office disclosed that toxicology tests indicated a high level of ketamine in the pilot's blood, although the source and timing of the substance entering his system were not initially specified.
The fatal incident occurred on January 14 when a hot air balloon operated by Droplyne Hot Air Balloon Rides plummeted approximately 2,000 feet to the desert floor near Eloy, south of Phoenix. The pilot, Cornelius van der Walt, along with three passengers lost their lives in the crash.
