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 A hot air balloon that crashed in Texas, killing all 16 people on board, likely hit power lines before it plummeted to the ground, the National Transportation Safety Board said Sunday. A hot air balloon made contact with high-tension power lines before... (Associated Press) 
 
 LOCKHART, Texas (AP) — The pilot of a hot air balloon that crashed in Texas and killed all 16 people aboard had been arrested in Missouri for driving while intoxicated in 2000, police said, and the Better Business Bureau there had warned consumers about doing business with him after complaints about his balloon touring company. Though it was foggy after the accident, Sumwalt said they don't yet know whether there was fog at the time of the crash. THE SCENE: Photos from balloon crash site 
 
 Friends and relatives never heard from Matt and Sunday Rowan, and Matt Rowan did not show up for a volleyball tournament in San Antonio at 11 a.m. Saturday, said his friend and fellow organizer Cassidy Villegan. At least two of the passengers, Matt Rowan and his wife Sunday Rowan, posted photos on social media of the preparations, the early morning sunrise and themselves in the basket of the balloon a short time before the crash. "We will interview the ground crew (Monday) to see if we can find out if there was any particular reason why the launch was delayed by as much as 20 minutes," he said. "We're looking at operation of balloon, pilot, and company that operated the balloon," Sumwalt said, identifying the operating company as Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides.
– Authorities have confirmed that 15 passengers and the pilot died Saturday in what is believed to be the deadliest hot air balloon crash in American history. The victims of the crash near Lockhart in central Texas include newlyweds Matt and Sunday Rowan, who were married just six months ago, People reports. Sunday, mother of a 5-year-old son, bought the balloon ride as a birthday present for her husband. "Sunday was messaging her mom before getting on the balloon," her former partner says. "Soon after takeoff, she stopped all communication." Investigators believe the balloon hit power lines. In other coverage: Matt Rowan's brother tells NBC that the 34-year-old professor had just started working as chief of clinical trials at an Army hospital burn unit. "He was doing some amazing work and research," Joshua Rowan says. "He felt like a lot of the stuff he was doing would have benefits for soldiers and other service members who had been injured by burns." The Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides pilot has been identified as Alfred "Skip" Nichols, 49. "I knew him to be a safe, competent pilot," a fellow balloon pilot tells CNN. "He has done this for a very long time." The other victims were all in small groups rather than large parties, reports the Austin American-Statesman, which profiles several more of the deceased passengers. KVUE reports that Nichols was the owner of the balloon company as well as the pilot. Neighbors describe him as a "real happy guy" whose balloon was a familiar sight. NBC News reports that investigators are looking into several possible causes of the crash, including cloudy weather that delayed the takeoff by around 20 minutes. An NTSB spokesman says investigators have gathered 14 recording devices used by passengers and will be searching them for clues. The American-Statesman reports that investigators say the basket was found around three-quarters of a mile away from the balloon, suggesting it was severed when the balloon hit power lines. The AP reports that Nichols had a checkered history in Missouri before he moved to Texas five years ago: Police say he was arrested in 2000 on a felony driving while intoxicated charge. In 2002, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor DWI. He used to own a hot air balloon touring company in St. Louis County, which was the subject of a warning from the Better Business Bureau after repeated customer complaints.