11 Die in Fiery New Zealand Balloon Crash WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - A hot air balloon carrying 11 people turned into a tower of "sheer flame" Saturday after hitting power lines near a rural New Zealand town, police officials and witnesses said. All aboard were killed in the deadliest air crash in New Zealand in nearly 50 years. Two of those killed jumped out of the basket in desperation before the fiery balloon plummeted to farmland near the township of Carterton. The accident happened in clear, bright conditions. The pilot and five couples from the Wellington area, about 95 miles south of the crash site, were killed. Superintendent Mike Rusbatch, a police district commander in Wellington, the capital, said the fire appeared to begin when the balloon's basket struck power lines. Witnesses told local news outlets of seeing flames rising more than 30 feet. The only victim publicly identified so far is the pilot and balloon owner, Lance Hopping. He was safety officer for an annual balloon event, and was considered an experienced pilot. The New Zealand Transport Accident Investigation Commission has opened an inquiry into the crash.