BRADFORD — Police have identified the victim in the hot-air-balloon accident in Bradford yesterday as 72-year-old Brian Boland from Post Mills.
The incident took place at around 5:45 p.m. when four passengers and a pilot took off in the balloon from Post Mills Airport.
Sometime later, the balloon began to descend and briefly touched down in a field.
When contact was made with the ground, the basket tipped, and a passenger fell out.
Police say during this sequence, the pilot became entangled in gear affixed to the balloon as it re-ascended and ended up trapped underneath the basket, where he eventually fell to the ground.
Boland landed in a field off Waits River Road and was pronounced dead on scene.
The balloon continued north for about 1.5 miles until it became caught in a grove of trees in Piermont, New Hampshire, at which point the three passengers remaining in the balloon were able to climb down safely.
Police say none of the four passengers was injured in the incident.
The investigation into the circumstances surrounding this accident has been turned over to the NTSB and FAA.
