Cupertino man, 24, dies in Arizona hot air balloon crash

A Cupertino man was among four people killed Sunday when the hot air balloon they were riding on crashed in Arizona. Atahan Kiliccote, 24, died in the crash, which happened near Eloy, a town northwest of Tucson, Ariz. Also killed in the crash were passengers from Michigan and Indiana, as well as the balloon’s pilot, who was originally from South Africa but had been residing in Eloy, according to the Eloy Police Department.

A resident of Scottsdale, Ariz. was critically injured, police said. The balloon was operated by Droplyne Hot Air Balloon Rides, an outfitter that advertises rides over scenic landscapes and historical landmarks in Arizona and Utah. A total of 13 people — eight of whom were skydivers — where in the balloon at the start of the trip.

All of the skydivers appear to have jumped out of the balloon’s basket safely before issues became evident with the balloon, Eloy police said. Eloy police did not release any information about what may have caused the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating..