New Zealand balloon crash pilot was due to marry fiancée (and the invitations were posted on the day he and ten others died)

By RICHARD SHEARS and DAMIEN GAYLE

Family man: Pilot Lance Hopping, who was a father and grandfather, with his fiancee Nina Kelynack who he was due to marry in April

The pilot of a hot air balloon which burst into flames after hitting power lines, killing 11 people on board, had been due to marry his fiancee - and the invitations had been posted on the day he died.
In a sad twist of irony, just days after Lance Hopping was killed in the horrific accident in New Zealand, his family and friends will start to receive invitations to his wedding.
The 50-year-old pilot was due to marry his long-term partner Nina Kelynack in April and the invitations had been posted on the day of his ill-fated flight, it has been reported.

'Hell of a nice guy': Mr Hopping was described as an experienced and safety-conscious pilot

Robert Clyde, Mr Hopping's cousin, told New Zealand's Stuff website: 'The invitations are in the mail now, they were posted yesterday. We were all looking forward to a big reunion.
'Lance rung me a few weeks ago to say to expect an invitation, and that he hoped we could make it for the wedding.'
The pilot's father Robert Hopping said the family were in a state of shock, adding: 'We are coping, but we are a bit of a zombie house at the moment.'

Scorch marks in a field show where the hot air balloon carrying five couples and a pilot crashed

Fellow balloonists praised Mr Hopping, who has two children from a previous marriage and two grandchildren, as an experienced pilot who was safety-conscious and a 'hell of a nice guy'.
He had clocked up more than 1,000 hours flying balloons over 15 years and had flown all over the world.
Witnesses said the hot air balloon turned into a horrifying tower of 'sheer flame' after hitting power lines in rural New Zealand yesterday, killing all those riding on-board.

Eye witnesses said they saw flames rising from the balloon's basket before it plummeted to earth

Emergency crews survey the crash site from a fire service cherry picker as they cordon off the road running past through the town of Carterton

Tragic: A police officer approaches grieving people grieving at a police road block near the scene of the crash

Police said five couples and the pilot were killed when the hot air balloon crashed near Wellington in an area that is popular with thrill-seeking tourists.
As authorities continued their investigation into the horrific accident, the identities of some of those killed on board began to emerge.
Retired couple Desmond and Ann Dean, from Masterson, were thought to have received the hot air balloon trip as a Christmas present from their children while Howard and Diana Cox, from Wellington, were also reported to have been among those killed.

Shock: Relatives and friends in grief at the scene of the crash. The tragic accident was witnessed by dozens of locals

Balloon pilot Lance Hopping, one of those killed in the hot air balloon accident that killed eleven people in Carterton, New Zealand, this morning

Alexis Still, from Wellington, and her boyfriend Chrisjan Jordaan were also thought to have been on board, as were an unnamed mother and daughter.
Two other passengers - a man and a woman who have not been named - jumped to their deaths trying to escape the blazing balloon.
Despite arriving on the scene within three minutes, emergency services were unable to save any of those on board. The balloon was coming to the end of a 45-minute flight and the pilot was thought to be trying to land in a paddock.

Grim: District Commander, Superintendent Mike Rusbatch, left, with Wairarapa Area Commander, Inspector Brent Register speak to the media near the crash scene


Police have cordoned off the impact zone around where the balloon landed in Carterton, on New Zealand's north island

The balloon was a Cameron A-210, which can carry 10 passengers and a pilot.
New Zealand Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee expressed condolences to the bereaved families on behalf of the government.
'We are deeply sorry to learn of this tragic accident and our hearts go out to those who are now mourning the loss of life,' Mr Brownlee said.

This map shows the location of Carterton, New Zealand, where the horrifying balloon crash happened



source: dailymail