Crime & Safety
Man Killed in Phoenixville Hot Air Balloon Accident
The pilot fell from the balloon as it was landing, police said.
A man was killed Sunday when the he fell from the hot air balloon he was piloting, East Pikeland Township Police said.
Eleven people, including the pilot, were on the hot air balloon as it began its decent early Sunday morning near the 500 block of Wall Street, police said.
An investigation revealed that the balloon's pilot, Jeffrey Hooten, 47, of Albuquerque, leaned out of the balloon's basket to reach a rope and fell, police said. Hooten ended up trapped between the balloon's basket and the ground, police said.
When police arrived on the scene around 7:20 a.m., people were attempting CPR on Hooten. Hooten was transported to Phoenixville Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Police said the investigation is continuing.
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