they say why not mandate what the ntsb does? i think the reason that our product is so good is precisely because it's not mandatory. i think that means our staff knows that if this isn't a real good idea, people are going to ignore it because they can. well, people don't ignore it more than 80 percent of the time. and that's, to me, if it was mandatory, then there's something wrong with telling us we have to be safety only. because if we're safety only and it's mandatory, that's a disconnect. so i think it's a good idea that we aren't mandatory, and i think that's one of the reasons our product is as world class as it is, because our staff knows that if it's not a really good idea, people just won't do it. mr. burr: i think you told me your term is up in march, but you've been at the ntsb for a while. now that obama's presidency is almost done, how would you assess his administration's record on transportation safety? chairman hart: in general, all of the industries are improving in their safety and that's the real good news. on

what we do know is this, the ntsb has launched a team. many of those members deployed from washington, d.c. and two investigators happened to be in texas at the time and they are on route to the scene. the faa is investigating. they're sending people to the scene as well. this happened just before 8:00, about 7:40 a.m. local time. the sheriff's office has said they were responding to calls for a possible vehicle accident on this road that you see here in this photograph and it turns out when they made it to the scene they realized it was actually a hot air balloon basket that was on fire. it's unclear if it was on the road or in the pasture near the road but when they got to the scene that is what law enforcement found. they found a large hot air balloon basket on fire in this area. they now say they do not believe that there are any survivors, at least 16 people may have perished in this crash according to the faa. i want to give you a little context here. it seems like a lot of people and a lot of people -- a large hot air balloon. this

not a whole lot from the ntsb. it's still early in the investigation. >> we know from local first responders the sheriff's department there near lockhart and where this accident took place, they got a call of a fire just before 8:00 this morning and that's what they were responding to. the sheriff's office there says when they responded it turned out what was on fire was the basket from this hot air balloon. as you mentioned and as you heard there from ntsb officials, this considered a major accident. faa officials have told us there were 16 people on board that hot air balloon that have died. this is a significant crash, obviously a horrific crash and demands the investigation that it will get here apparently will take some time for those ntsb investigators to get fully on ground to begin piecing everything together. not a lot of answers as to whether or not it was weather that play a factor, were there power lines that might have contributed to all of this. all of those questions being asked and will be examined

the ntsb, for everybody, the ntsb will provide factual information as the investigation begins full boreorrow when the rest of the team is here. >> what are some of the difficulties of investigating an accident such as this? everne

the ntsb, for everybody, the ntsb will provide factual information as the investigation begins full bore tomorrow when the rest of the team is here. >> what are some of the difficulties of investigating an accident such as this? everyone onboard being dead. what are the difficulties? >> you have weather, you have coordination with a number of resources here, local, state, and federal, getting the documentation. it's much like a crime scene. you only get one chance at it so we want to make sure we do everything correctly. thanks to the cooperation of all of these agencies standing next to me and behind me. we've been able to start on the right foot for that. >> constitutes a major event? >> significant loss of life. >> thank y'all. >> okay. that was a quick news conference from the scene there in texas where police are saying, as of now, there are no survivors in a fiery hot air balloon crash in central texas which happened earlier today. we are working to confirm more details. but from what you heard there they have the ntsb on the ground. they're following this crash. the ntsb will inve

we have in this country operating under the ntsb what's called the party system. in the ntsb, which will lead the investigation, will designate parties to the investigation. one of those will certainly be the faa which is entitled to be a party. likely the balloon operator, the company operating the balloon. it might well be the balloon manufacturer. once the ntsb is able to survey the nature of the accident, they can decide whether there might be additional parties to the investigation going forward over the next several days. >> when we talk about the possibility of a hot air balloon catching fire, can you break it down for us? little bit how that could possibly take place and turn into a combustible situation? >> i'd say as your reporter indicated, the way the balloon flies and the faa does, in fact as pointed out, they certificate the pilots and balloon operator. the pilot has to operate consistent with the federal aviation regulations. the way it operates, it's lighter than air. the way the gas, the air inside the balloon becomes lighter than air is it's heat

in a few hours, a full team of ntsb investigators will report here. witnesses reported h seeing a fireball in the sky. this morning, investigators on the the scene of the deadliest balloon crash in u.s. history. 16 people killed when this hot air balloon plummeted to the ground. this photo showing it just moments before the crash. the balloon taking off just before sunrise saturday, 30 miles south of austin. near lockhart. investigators believe the balloon struck high-tension power lines then came crashing to the ground. the first 911 call coming in at >> looking for a vehicle fire fully engulfed. jolly road just off cistern. >> reporter: rescue crews responding to what they thought was a vehicle fire. >> the popping sound was the balloon connecting with the electric lines. then, by the time i turned and saw the fireball go up, the basket was on the ground. >> reporter: the ntsb quickly sending a team to the scene. >> it's much like a crime scene. you only get one chance. so we want to make sure we do everything correctly. >> reporter: among those kil

she just interviewed a former ntsb chairperson.aolo, let me get with you at the scene and how they are trying to put this mystery together. >> reporter: much of that will mean bringing in extra reinforcements, and in the last few hours, this jump team with the national transportation and safety board traveled from washington here to an area just to about 30 miles south of austin, texas. the scene itself in the distance where you're able to see some of those vehicles, which is also where these power lines actually lead to. the main question is what led to this? i can tell you they're going to be looking at a lot of factors here, including, of course, the man and the machine. the machine being an actual hot air balloon here. was it up to standards? had it been inspected? and then also the pilot himself. was he trained to be able to operate these kinds of scenic tours? i can tell you this is what we know now about alfred nichols, a man who was commonly known in the area as skip. we know, according to documents from the faa, that he wa

at the time but ntsb will try to hammer down exactly what caused this. as we have been reporting, poppy, there are thee reports of this fire possibly on board before this crash happened and while we don't know and it is too early to know what caused it, you talk to anyone who knows about flying a hot air balloon, they will tell you that a fire on board is probably one of the most dangerous situations. the only way to escape is essentially jumping over board and as you have people jumping over board the balloon makes it lighter and makes it more dangerous because it flies even higher, poppy. >> right. >> so we do know this fire did operate on board according to the faa, again, we don't know the sequence of events. >> renee, thank you for the reporting, i'll let you get back to. i know you're in the midst of talking to your sources, good luck down there, we appreciate it. of course as this develops and we learn more in the hours ahead we'll bring them to you. 16 people lost, mass fatality situation there in texas. a lot ahead this hour, federal officials i

the ntsb calling for stricter regulations on the hot air balloon industry.e faa downplayed those represent dagss saying the risks posed to people would be too low, the ntsb was fearing more tragic accidents with greater numbers of people unfolding. we noent know how this plays into this particular accident but the debate between the ntsb and the faa definitely something to pay attention to as something that's been going on the last couple of years and perhaps something that might shed light as this investigation goes forward into this particular accident. >> no question. and this being now the deadliest hot air balloon crash ever in u.s. history. ed lavendera, thank you. >>> still to come. we'll hurricane to politics. and hillary clinton continuing her historic campaign for president on the bus tour through the swing states. the group that disrupted her party's convention leaking those e-mails just as the convention was getting underway, well, they are promising more damaging e-mails. what julian assange told our anderson cooper next. you are life in the cnn

ntsb investigators are heading to the scene. kristin from our system station ktrak is at the scene in lockhart texas. christine. >>reporter: sandra, it was an early morning hot air balloon ride in the texas hill country that went terribly wrong. the caldwell county sheriff's department said they received 911 calls after 7:30. they said many of the eyewitnesss thought they were looking at a car ac flames, but when the first responders got here to the pasture, they say they found a large basket from a hot air balloon. investigators believe that that balloon came into contact with high voltage power lines. they say at least 16 people were onboard. and many of the eyewitnesss who have talked with us say they can't believe what they saw. >> first i heard a wish, like a wishing sound and then it just a and then a little bit later, i heard another one. >> now, again, we know 16 people onboard. investigators have not released the names of the passengers. we only know the name of the pilot. a man named skip nickels. an experienced pilot.

the ntsb says they should arrive

rudy, i understand the ntsb is there and also the fbi, what is that about?reporter: the fbi team is part of the specialized crash analysis time. they have specialized expertise in these situations and plane crashes and other type of catastrophic events. that is part of the investigation. and there is a lot of the state and local investigators that are part of the federal effort to figure out what went wrong earlier this morning and we know through photographses that were circulated on social media that the balloon appeared to go very low and before it came to the high voltage power lines and according to one witness who lives on the stretch of roadway, she heard a popping noise and indicated that the balloon made contact with the high voltage power lines and came to the ground. this is special otherwising in with the specific time out here helping the ntsb. >> so rooty, what is the latest on the victims? >> reporter: as of right now, the number is 16. but we believe that may be based on the lists that the company provided federal investigators n. our local n

the ntsb sharing this photo of the balloon on the ground. landing three-quarters of a mile from the basket. as new video shows the hot air balloon in flight just moments before disaster struck. as we learn new details about the 16 people that perished, here's david kerley. >> reporter: this is the actual flight that ended as the deadliest balloon tragedy in the nation'sis tonight, some of the first clues. ntsb investigators on the scene confirming it hit transmission lines. and there may have been fog in the area. >> there's physical evidence that indicate the balloon hit the wires themselves and not the tower. >> reporter: it was shortly after sunrise. 7:40 a.m., the balloon is nearing the landing zone. stories high, are hit. >> like a gunfire explosion. >> you saw a big fireball go up, and it was just praying that whoever was there got away from the thing in time. >> need you en route, fully engulfed in flames. unknown injuries. >> reporter: crews are on the scene at 7:55, finding injuries and death. >> it's a ton ofun congratulations, you

the ntsb recommended stronger rules. >>> we have much more ahead on today in the bay. coming up, he may be team usa's most dedicated bay area fan. one man's journey to be a spectator at nine olympic games. >>> and we've got the clouds and fog this morning. you could see from wood side, there's the fog and we are expecting to see this lift as we go through the day. that forecast, coming up. ♪ ♪ ♪ >>> it is 7:15 on your sunday morning. we're looking at the sun shining over san jose from communications hill. anthony slaughter says the weather will continue to cool bit by bit. >>> there is a millionaire overnight somewhere in this country. a ticket holder in new hampshire has claimed last night's $478 million powerball jackpot. we have the winning numbers for you. 11, 17, 21, 23 and 32. and the powerball number is 5. this is the fifth largest jackpot in the history of powerball. the ticket hoelder can opt for cool $330 million before taxes. >>> just five days to go, we are now less than a week away from the opening ceremony of the rio olympics. a bay area man may be team u

tonight a team of ntsb investigators is headed to the scene to take over the probe. among the questions they will be asking, were safety procedures followed, and were too many people on board that balloon. >>> christine dobbyn with our sister station ktrk has details. >> reporter: a summer morning's flight of fancy crashes to earth in flames killing all aboard. >> you could see their heads. like they were, you know, all -- lots of pe there. >> first i heard a woosh, like a wooshing sound, and then it just -- a big ball of fire up. >> reporter: it plunged into this field after hitting power lines and bursting into a fireball. >> a vehicle fully engulfed in flames. >> reporter: all over so suddenly. no one could help. >> the popping sound was the balloon connecting with the electric lines. by the time i turned and saw basket was on the ground. >> reporter: it was a large balloon. 8500 cubic meters. able to carry 16 people. that size balloon carrying that much weight takes a bit more time to rise or descend. the balloon was operated by heart of texas hot air balloon rid

mary give us an idea how would the ntsb be leading this investigation.hey be looking into trying to figure out the cause of this crash and the mechanics or the viability of this balloon, the fitness of the pilot, all of that. >> you're exactly right. they're going to be looking into all of it and sadly balloon fires are not unheard of. if you have a ballooning disaster often it's this kind of situation so they're certainly going to be looking at the burner cans and the nozzles and the records on this, how often they were checked and what were the pilot's qualifications, all those sorts of things. sadly while it's a wonderful sport and people are -- most people that engage it are highly trained but it's not highly regulated. the faa does not devote a lot of money to do balloon inspections. there's not a lot of commercial activity and two it's pretty safe. while this kind of accident is rare for the balloon to catch fire it's usually one of the ways you have a fatal because of the mechanism burning too hot or having any kind of a leaking gas situation. thi

the ntsb is working to identify the victims of that crash. we're told the balloon basket may have hit some power lines. will carr is live in los angeles with the latest. >> reporter: to put this in perspective for you before today the most tragic accident in the united states history was back in 1993 when six people were killed in colorado when their hot air balloon hit a power line. today 16 people killed in this crash. that makes it the deadliest hot air balloon crash in the united states. we're told it happened around 7:45 this morning. when authorities arrived at the scene the basket of the balloon was on fire. this took place in a rural area but it took place next to some large power lines. investigators now trying to figure out if the balloon did indeed crash into those lines. listen to one witness as she describes what she saw and heard in the seconds after the crash. >> it sounded like a gun going off and then i looked off over there and the next thing there was a big fireball go up and it was just -- it was just praying whoever was t

ntsb board member says they'll be looking at weather conditions and how the balloon was operated and maintained. the ntsb is also asking anyone who has photos or video of the balloon to share it with investigators. >>> up next, the road to rio realized for a local father. how you our nbc 10 viewers helped make a once in a lifetime experience become a reality. prodders, shuckersers, and sniffers, [ inhales ] all giant produce is triple checked. farm, crate, and store. we're focusing on fresh... ...so you don't have to guess. my giant. >>> we are now just five days away from the start of the 2016 summer olympics in brazil. the opening ceremony happens friday night. and nbc 10 is the only place to see all of the action. a delaware county father's rio dream is a reality thanks in part to the generosity of a total stranger and nbc 10 viewers. we told you about ellis hill's story last night. his son darrell is competing for the u.s. in rio in shot put. he couldn't see the competition until a uber customer stepped in. willock set up a go fund me page and it surpassed the $7,500 goal and the

we're here to find out what happened, so that we can keep it that's our purpose in life. >> in short, ntsb officials look at three things when it comes to these investigations, the human, the machine, and the environment. elizabeth her, abc news, near lockhart texas. >>> new backlash today for trump over his comments about the family of a fallen muslim soldier. the republican presidential nominee tweeted today that captain khan was a hero. but his parents denied still firing back tha is not a leader. eyewitness news reporter cefaan kim is the news room with details. >>reporter: that backlash against trump today is mounting after he went after the parents of a war hero. could the republican nominee back out of the presidential debate. trump is hinting at the -- blaming clinton for the scheduling and making it clear he's not happy. >> clinton wants to be against she were on saturday night -- nobody is home. >> trump pointing the finger at his rival saying the debates were scheduled during the nfl because clinton would benefit. the republican nominee voicing his displeasure, but the president

the ntsb, for everybody, the ntsb will provide factual information as the investigation begins full bore tomorrow when the rest of the team is here. [ inaudible question ] >> you have weather, you have coordination with a number of resources here, local, state, and federal getting the documentation. it's much like a crime scene. you only get one chance at it. we have to make sure we do everything correctly. thanks to the cooperation of the agencies behind me and next to me we've been able to start that. [ inaudible question ] >> sitting lognificant loss of >> thank you. >> law enforcement there in central texas updating us on the situation there a hot air balloon has crashed with all 16 people on board. that hot air balloon believed to be dead. we'll continue to follow it on msnbc as soon as we get more information on what happened. maybe the identities and the circumstances of how the hot air balloon went down. we'll bring it to you. >>> we want to turn to politics. we want in a former deputy campaign manager for carly fiori fiorina. and president obama's 2008 campaign. thank you for be

in fact in 2014, the ntsb asked the faa to implement tougher safety policies. and greater oversight of these commercial operators. but at the time, the faa rejected the regulations saying that they were unnecessary because the risks were low. so it is not clear now about if the faa will reexamine those recommendations in the wake of this deadly accident. >> all right, casey, just so tragic. thank you. >>> and also in texas, police are looking for a suspect about who killed one person and injured four others in a shooting in downtown austin.abo who killed one person and injured four others in a shooting in downtown austin. fir officials received a report of shots being fired in the area of 6th street early this morning. one woman pronounced dead at the scene. three of the injured are now hospitalized and police say the suspect started firing into the crowd after some kind of initial disturbance. >>> and we're also learning new details about the shooting at a house party in washington state that has left three people dead and one wounded. it happened yesterday mo

this is special otherwising in with the specific time out here helping the ntsb. >> so rooty, what is on the victims? >> reporter: as of right now, the number is 16. but we believe that may be based on the lists that the company provided federal investigators n. our local new's station in austin area, an individual said she and her husband were supposed to be on board and they missed the linkup or hook up to it bring them to the launch sight. this individual who contacted the station that she got a call from the company where are you and have you landed yet. and believing that the balloon landed in a remote area. and she told those individuals and us that they were on board and missed the hook up and pick up this morning and why it is it is a good possibility that the number 16 could be brought down to 14. we'll have to wait for official confirmation on that. >> rudy, thank you. >>> hillary clinton speaking right now in a rally in pittsburg. she took the stage a short time ago as part of the swing state bus tour with tim kaine. moenl, the fbi is looking into a hack attack on the democ

. >> reporter: a full team, 13 ntsb investigators will arrive at the site of this hot air balloon tragedy in texas. that loss of life unprecedented in u.s. history. it is a scene investigators have hot air balloons coming into contact with power lines. often resulting in fire and death. a honeymooning couple indiana survived back in 2014. >> when we hit the pilot told us to get down. so we were all crouched down in the basket. all we saw was sparks fall around us and felt the sparks. >> since 1969 there have been nearly 70 fatal balloon accidents killing 116 before today. often commercial pilots try to land near roads to easily transport riders but many times power lines are nearby. >> if you're trying to land the basket or balloon near a road it's often times going to require you to either skip over or land close to high tension power lines. >> while the pilot of this balloon was experienced, it was a large balloon. 8,500 cubic meters able to carry 16 people. that large of a balloon takes a safety investigators called a regular lugs of the balloon to our industry. the ntsb two years ago

are you concerned that the ntsb might be left out of the race for recommendations with driverless cars? chairman hart: i think the biggest advantage of using us at this point is taking advantage of our knowledge of other modes, which is what i talked about today. i'm not concerned about us being left out, we're already in the conversation. but i think if people don't take advantage of that experience with other modes, then they're missing a valuable opportunity to avoid the bumps in the road, excusing the pun, that we have seen in other modes and that we can avoid in this mode. mr. burr: there's a big difference between somebody who's flying an airplane and driving a train. those are jobs versus consumers who are going to work and driving on occasion. that's probably more of an education process than a manufacturer can take on. i assume that's going to take more of a public campaign from the government as well? chairman hart: yes, and that's why i say it's much-- i think it's going to be much more challenging to introduce automation into a public arena than in the situations we've seen

retired ntsb investigator, senior flight instructor, chief pilot. wonderful woman of aerospace. thank you for joining us today. >> thank you very much for having me. >> to begin if we could talk briefly about your early career and your interest in aviation developing and how you, how you moved forward into the aerospace career as a woman. >> well, aerospace was not a name in my young life. but flying airplanes was. i got my first try at flying, just pure flying by flying my superman cape off my daddy's barn when i was about five years old. and then i was allowed to make airplanes out of blocks of balsa wood and hang them from my ceiling. when i went on to college, i was allowed to take flying as my mother had dearly loved flying and her father wouldn't allow her to. so they encouraged me then to go on to my aviation career. i was at a girl's school for two years, got my private there. then i went on to oklahoma state university, who would be the time from the mid '50s through to the '70s. i'm a national, international judge for safe-com universities and colleges. so now i'm givi

ntsb says he had a commercial pilots license with a balloon rating.riends say 49-year-old skip nichols loved flying and had a great deal of experience and worked for heart of texas hot air balloon rides. those who knew him still in disbelief that he is gone, gone doing what he loved. >> free spirit. loved people. loved earth. loved flying. loved his dogs. he rescued dogs. we have lost a really sweet individual. a lot of people will be affected. he was very well-known. he was known because he helped people, as well. if you ever needed anything, he would give it to you. >> reporter: authorities also say they are digging into the pilot's background which is standard in an investigation like this. they're also pouring over the maintenance records of that particular hot air balloon and the company's safety policies. all of that, of course, relevant information to this investigation. patti ann? >> all right. thank you. >>> well, the former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff is now weighing in on the presidential race but he's not voicing his opinion abou

now the ntsb begins its grim task. but they are already on the ground. a full team of 13 investigators from the ntsb will be here by sunday, trying to find answers for their loved ones of 16 victims of tragedy. >>> now to north carolina and the story of a boy with autism who was turned away from a local restaurant. 6-year-old e.j. patterson was eating his favorite food, mcdonald's french fries at a golden corral with mom. they were asked to leave because the food came from outside the restaurant. when the mcdonald's owner heard, he offered them a free supply of french fries for a year. >> it's a blessing. >> she says the gift will be a big help. she says she normally spends about $200 a month at mcdonald's. >>> one woman celebrated her 80 birthday by something people her age are afraid to do. she went sky diving for the first time in sacramento. this is the way she wanting to celebrate her eight decades on earth. she said the butterflies went away once she stepped out of the plane. >> cold, and then it was just so peaceful, beautiful. i loved it. i had s

that is something ntsb investigators are looking into.into flames just before 8:00 yesterday morning. surprisingly, there is little regulation by the faa when it comes to these hot air balloon excursions. for example, there are no limits on the number of passengers they can carry, which is how 16 people were on board yesterday's ill-fated flight. >> you're getting hot air balloons that are carrying capacity, more than air tour helicopters or even some fixed-wing aircraft. so when they're paying for a service, they're expecting some oversight, some safety, and we just don't see that same level of oversight when it comes to balloon operations. >> reporter: now, the balloon was operated by heart of texas hot air balloon rides. the feds will be digging into the company's background, their safety record. that is all standard part of an investigation like this. we did speak to the community's mayor who tells fox news that none of the victims he thought were local, but the recovery operation under way is extremely challenging according to the of

ntsb says he was going 74 miles per hour in a 65 miles an hour zone.em1 have a speed restriketor in which the car won't go more than 5 miles per hour above they posted speed limit but not activated on highway or roads with a center divider. sense the crash there has been criticism about the auto pilot feature in the model s car. consumer reports calling on the palo alto company to make changes toyts self driving system. >> mean time tesla planning a grand opening on friday for the massive battery plant in nevada called gig a factory one. it's onlypp÷ partially complete but tesla trying to speed up construction to meet demand for the company new lower cost modelnzqwy free that is due oute next year. customers have already made pre-ordered deposits.(mz# when its complete the 5 billion dollar plant will almost double the world production of litheum eye on battery by 2018.e8v!y >>> now way to shut out the bad guy on a budget. that is the promise of new series of products designed to stop bullet and blasts at homes businesses and public building buildings.

. >>> in texas an ntsb is underway after a hot air balloon crash that left all 16 on board dead. it was about 30 miles south of austin when it went down. witnesses describe seeing a massive fireball some four stories high. >> reporter: an experience of a lifetime turning deadly in central texas. a hot air balloon bursting into flames with 16 people at least on board. and investigators say there were no survivors. and they're working to identify everyone killed in the disaster. the hot air balloon caught fire around 7:40 a.m. central and crashed in a pasture nearthe town of lockhart. that's about 30 miles south of austin. margaret wylie lives close by and told reporters she heard a pop, pop, pop sound. >> i think the pops that i heard was the balloon connecting with the lines. and by the time i looked that way, it was already on the ground. >> reporter: authorities have not said where the hot air balloon was based out of or which company was flying it. but they believe the fire was in the basket portion of the balloon. the land near the crash site is mostly farmland where corn and

. >>> ntsb still trying to determine the exact number of casualties saying at least 16 people on board lost their lives. we are live on the scene. >>> hillary clinton facing threats from wiki leaks founder about releasing more campaign e-mails. donald trump faces harsh criticism for what he said about a muslim gold star family. >> and two retired generals are facing criticism. it is for appearing at party conventions, why it just made harder for all of the generals who follow them. >>> thank you for spending your sunday with us. i'm shannon. >> and nice to be with you. 99 days until election day. i'm heland vittert. welcome. we are learning much more about the hot air balloon disaster in central texas. the hot air balloon burst into flames that then killed 16 people on board. investigators on the scene say they are look at the human aspects, the human aspect and the machine aspect. hi casey. he is live near the scene. >> reporter: hi. the power lines you talked about are just back there in the distance in that field. that is what eyewitnesss say th. although officials with the ntsb hav

five injured are adults and children and their injuries are not believed to be life- threatening >>> ntsb expects to arrive in humboldt county at the crash site of the medical transport plane. it went down friday killing all four people on board. the aircraft took off early from crescent city you're the oregon border. the plane was headed to the oakland airport when it crashed the arcata eureka airport. >> the plane went down in a heavily forced area on private timberland. difficult terrain physically for sheriff's deputies. a difficult site emotionally. >> there was a quarter-mile debris field with the plane broke up. part of the plane was intact and we saw two deceased subjects in the cabin area of the plane took a share spokesman said the plane had caught fire at some point making retrieval and identification difficult. >> it's so remote that search and rescue on scene had no cell phone because there is no communication took the piper cheyenne the 31 aircraft is owned and operated by cal-ore life flight in crescent city. it was on a mission with four people. a pilot nurse paramedic and

just two years ago, the ntsb called for more regulation of the hot air balloon tour industry. in a letter to the faa, citing industry. at the time, the faa deemed more oversight unnecessary. and now, before those recommondations are revisited, officials say investigating this accident early as priority. >> we're looking at the operation of the balloon, the pilot, the company that operated the balloon. we'll be looking at the maintenance aspects of this balloon. elizabeth: in short, ntsb officials say they look at three things when it comes to these elizabeth hur, abc news, near lockhart, texas. todd: new tonight, we're learning details about a murder-suicide involving former rhode island police officer. authorities say 61-year-old franklin osgood killed his wife mary-jo sometime between friday night and saturday afternoon then fled to new jersey and turned the gun on himself. the former providence officer calling his adult children saturday to tell them he'd done something bad to their mother. >> he really expressed sorrow and sympathy for what he had done and expressed he wan

the ntsb says the passenger in the plane had fatal injuries. the small plane went down in the woods as it was trying to land at norwood airport earlier this month. the pilot was also seriously injured. this black lives matter banner mayor joe curtatone says it's possible to support minority residents and the police. he says city hall also features a banner supporting slain police officers in louisiana and texas. somerville's police union plans to protest the black lives banner tomorrow night. the als ice bucket challenge is making a difference. anchor: coming up on newscenter 5 at 7 the research breakthrough at u-mass medical center funded in part by the challenge. anchor: it is developing in the middle of the country. anchor: the charles river getting its latest grade from the epa. the new assessment of just how clean the water is and how often capital one believes your bank should work for you, not the other way around. so capital one reimagined banking... ? with a place that feels nothing like a bank. and helpful people that talk to you...no

in fact, in 2014 the ntsb asked the faa to implement tougher safety policies and greater oversite of the commercial hot air balloon operators. at that time two years ago the faa rejected the regulations saying they were unnecessary because the risks were low. it is not clear if the faa will re-examine that decision in the wake of the accident that killed 16 people. eric? >> all right, thanks so much. >>> the military playing the role in both parties' conventions, now there's debate whether it should be. this comes after chairman of the joint chiefs, martin dempsey, criticized retired generals michael flynn and john allen for inserting themselves into the presidential campaigns for both parties. kristin fisher joins us now with details. kristin? >> reporter: the former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, general martin dempsey, says it was a mistake for the two retired generals to speak at the conventions. he believes there's no place for military leaders at any political convention and made his case today in a letter to "the washington post." it reads in part, quote, the military

the ntsb has people on the scene.e hot air balloon went into the power lines. 345,000 volts and when it hit, it exploded and catching fire arcing the electricity people and 16 people on board all dead and investigators are there and there are more investigators from the national transportation safety board heading this way but they did speak to us this morning. this is what he had to say. >> our goal is to work on scene to thoroughly gather factual information. we're not on scene to analyze the accident, to solve the accident. our goal is not to solve it this week. our goal while being on scene is to collect the perishable evidence, the information that will go away with the passage of time. >> what we see here is a photograph that was taken by erica gonzalez, passing by in her car and she noticed it was awfully low, just beyond the tree line and she snapped a photograph 18 minutes later is when the accident happened. this is what she had to say. >> as we were getting closer to it, we could see they weren't really mov

. >> the ntsb said it's early in the investigation and they are not sure how the balloon caught fire. >> for sounded like a gun going off. >> they believe the popping noises came from the balloon, colliding with high voltage power lines. >> it wasn't like an explosion. it was like a -- it just went up. >> a team of experts will continue the investigation throughout the weekend. starting the difficult task of identifying victims and figuring >> we are getting new information about the hot air balloon business, heart of texas hot air balloon ride. customers can buy tickets on the spot. the company has a d rating with the better business bureau. no comment from the business on that crash today. back to you. >> thank you. here at home, hundreds gathered for the country's largest hot air balloon festival in new jersey. they canceled the texas, but because of the weather. organizers said safety is a top right and this decision was out of an abundance of caution. the festival allows people to view the launches of nearly 100 balloons and ride in them. they are expected to continue as planned

. >>> a special into yes the investigation team is te ntsb investigation team is excited to go to texas to investigate the hot air balloon disaster. >> brian conybeare has more. >> this is a deflated hot air balloon in a field outside of texas after a terrible crash that killed 16 people. the basket caught fire and plunged to the ground. right below high-voltage power lines. >> it sounded like a gun went fireball. >> they believe the balloon somehow hit the high-voltage wires. >> i think the pop that i heard was the balloon connecting to the lines. >> the group was with the, heart of texas, balloon rides. investigators from the ntsb and the fbi rushed to the remote seen 30 miles south of austin. >> you only get one chance at it. >> two years air balloon hit power lines in virginia. about the same time, safety investigators recommended that the faa conduct more oversight on balloon operators due to concerns over these accidents. the faa rejected the recommendation. >> he is the balloon advisor at the new jersey -- new jersey festival of ballooning. he has flown 3400 hours and balloons an

mainly they didn't have a policy that the ntsb investigator believed for sure that they had.nd he felt that this was the worst case, the worst atmosphere, the most hostile response of any pipeline operator that he'd encountered in 18 years investigating incidents across the country. >> he also described pg&e's attitude as well. >> reporter: right. well, he was saying during interviews, they would have, you know, a lawyer who interjected constantly and he felt like this was supposed to be what he considered a fact-gathering investigation, not a courtroom battle. and here the company had this attorney interjecting and in other cases, you know, he just seemed to say that -- he just couldn't get straight answers. >> this is the last government witness. what's next? >> reporter: well, pg&e indicating it's going to be putting on a defense and the government's going to use this investigator's account as a basis to suggest that the company obstructed justice in the probe by just not giving the right or correct information or in some cases delaying it and giving dubious responses to i

the ntsb says it is continuing to gather data on incident.s pretty much flat today. >>> overseas, two men claiming to be islamic state soldiers killed a priest and seriously injured another person this morning during mass at a church in france, the latest terror attack in europe. while we heard a lot of inspiring speeches last night at the dnc convention from the likes of michelle obama obama and bernie sanders and a whole cast of characters, cory booker, and there was just no mention of isis, homeland security or the war on terror. we know this matters to voters. let's bring in house armed services committee member, california congressman john garamendi who is at the arena right now in philadelphia. why not? why no machines of that? was that planned? was that engineered so that isis terror would not be mentioned? >> no. i think it has to do with the way they want to roll out this election and the campaign and certainly the convention. they wanted, we got to get unity first. last night was very, very much about unity. it was about bernie and

. >>> ntsb still trying to determine the exact number of casualties saying at least 16 people on board lost their lives. we are live on the scene. >>> hillary clinton facing threats from wiki leaks founder about releasing more campaign e-mails. donald trump faces harsh criticism for what he said about a muslim gold star family. >> and two retired generals are facing criticism. it is for appearing

two years the ntsb issued a warning about the potential for a hot air balloon accident with a high number of fatilities if the faa did not adopt stricter regulations. the faa rejected those safety recommendations because so few people go ballooning. >> morgan holy police are on the look for bank robbers. wilt is did not good good descriptions. they were covered from head to toe. police said they got away in a blue ford focus like the one you see on the right. >>> tonight bart is investigating an arrest made by some of its own officers. cell phone video of the incident has gone viral. witnesses believe it was a case of excessive force. i happened inside the embarcadero bart station as police were making an arrest of a possible robbery suspect. cornell bernard is live in san francisco with details. cornell? >> reporter: bart taking this situation very seriously tonight. it's also reviewing body-worn cameras by officers. witnesses say the arrest of this man was over the top. this was the scene tourist pamela martinez captured on her cell phone friday. a man being arrested inside the bart sta

the ntsb is calling this the worst hot air balloon in history. 16 people are dead near austin, texas. the balloon caught fire near power lines. they said the balloon was operated by a company that may not have been registered with the state. two years ago, the faa rejected safety recommendations for better oversight. >>> community members and police officers came together to heal in dallas this weekend. the national association of police activities, dallas mavericks and others invited kids for a day of games. just weeks after dallas officers were gunned down during a protest march. they hope to improve relations and encourage kids to be part of the solution. >>> a big surprise for a local police officer after being shot in the line of duty. >> that's right. this is a great story. officer chris dorman is smiling this morning, after getting a new and improved version of his jeep wrangler. a chester county company secretly worked with his dad to outfit the jeep. an online firm donated $25,000 for parts and labor for the upgrade. officer dorman was shot seven timing in folcroft last month