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DOSWELL, Virginia (AP) — Searchers on Sunday found the body of the third victim from the crash of a hot air balloon that drifted into a power line, burst into flames and fell into a heavily wooded area in northern Virginia, police said.
Virginia state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said the searchers found the body at 11 a.m. Sunday. The bodies of the two other victims had previously been found.
Police have not released the victims' names, but family members and the University of Richmond said associate head coach Ginny Doyle and director of basketball operations Natalie Lewis were passengers on the balloon that crashed Friday about 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Richmond.
"Words cannot begin to express our sorrow," Keith Gill, the school's athletic director, said in a statement. "We are all stunned by the tragic news. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their loved ones."
Donald Kirk on Sunday said his son, Daniel T. Kirk, was piloting the balloon. The balloon was registered to Daniel at an address in the Dover, Delaware, area.
The website of Daniel T. Kirk's company says he had more than 20 years' experience as a hot air balloon pilot and had flown in ballooning events throughout the country. The Starship Adventures website also said Kirk had a commercial balloon pilot license issued by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Daniel Kirk was known affectionately by fellow pilots as "Capt. Kirk," the hammy commander of the USS Enterprise on the TV series "Star Trek."
Steve Hoffmann, who said he built the Eagle balloon that Kirk was piloting and taught him to fly, called Kirk "one of the nicest guys in the world" and a consummate professional.
"He was not a hot dog, not a risk taker," Hoffmann said in an interview. "It's so unbelievable that everyone's in shock."
Hoffmann said he was shocked when he learned Kirk was the pilot of the balloon that crashed.
"He was very careful," Hoffmann said. "Something definitely went wrong. This is not the kind of flying Dan would do."
Mark Nelson, a Virginia balloonist, called Kirk "a true ambassador to the sport of hot air ballooning."
"Dan Kirk will be greatly missed by everyone in ballooning across America," he wrote in an email. "Our hearts go out to Dan's family and the families of passengers involved in the balloon accident."
Undergraduate commencement at the University of Richmond was scheduled for Sunday.
Lewis had just completed her second year as director of basketball operations for the women's team, according to a profile on the university's website. The Buffalo, New York, native was a two-time captain of the Spiders' swim team.
Lewis was "an amazing person and a strong person, an athlete engaged to be married," according to family spokeswoman Julie Snyder.
Doyle, who graduated from Richmond in 1992 after a standout basketball career, served on the team staff for 16 years after that — including nine winning seasons. She earned all-conference honors twice as a player.
"As alumnae, classmates, and colleagues — and as invaluable and devoted mentors for our student-athletes — Ginny and Natalie have been beloved members of our community," university president Edward L. Ayers said.
The university canceled two weekend baseball games and held a moment of silence at commencement Saturday for its law school.
Witnesses to the crash described a harrowing sight on the special preview night for the Mid-Atlantic Balloon Festival, which was set to open Saturday. The festival was canceled. About 740 people attended the preview event.
On the ground, "It was complete silence," spectator Nancy Johnson said. "There were people praying. It was horrible."
The balloon was among 13 that lifted off Friday night from Meadow Event Park, home to the State Fair of Virginia, and was approaching a landing site nearby. Two of the balloons landed safely before the third hit the live power line, according to police.
The pilot attempted to retain control of the balloon and snuff the fire and two passengers either jumped or fell from the gondola, state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said.
"Then witnesses recall hearing an explosion and the fire continued to spread," Geller said.
She said another pilot interviewed by investigators described how the pilot tried to open vents to release extra-hot air in an attempt to keep the balloon from rising faster.
"Based on witness accounts, he did everything he could to try to save the passengers' lives," Geller said.
The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating the crash.
Troy Bradley, past president of the Balloon Federation of America, said most serious accidents on balloons — including fires, electrocution or baskets becoming severed — happen after hitting power lines. Most of the time it's due to pilot error, he said.
Fatal accidents happen less often than with other types of aircraft, Bradley said.
Twenty balloonists from the Mid-Atlantic region had been scheduled to participate in the weekend festival, said Greg Hicks, a spokesman for the venue.
Johnson, who went as a spectator to the festival with her husband, photographed the balloon after the accident. She said the crash near the park occurred in an instant.
"One minute the balloons were hovering in a field behind Event Park, the next everyone is pointing at sky," she said.
Carrie Hager-Bradley said she saw the balloon in flames on her way home from the grocery and heard people yelling.
"They were just screaming for anybody to help them," she told WWBT TV.
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Associated Press writers David Koenig in Dallas and Steve Szkotak and Hank Kurz Jr. in Richmond contributed to this report.
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