"Va. graduation somber after crash; Bodies recovered in balloon tragedy" Associated Press May 12, 2014
DOSWELL, Va. — The University of Richmond’s graduation ceremony was tinged with sadness Sunday night, two days after two members of its athletic staff were among three people killed when a hot air balloon hit a power line and crashed in Virginia.
One victim was a constant in women’s basketball at Richmond, a beloved assistant coach who had been on staff for 15 seasons, remaining through two coaching changes. The other was hardly out of college, always cheerful and willing to help, a friend said.
Associate head coach Ginny Doyle, 44, and director of basketball operations Natalie Lewis, 24, were killed Friday in a fiery hot-air balloon crash along with the pilot, Daniel T. Kirk, 65, an Army veteran who had 20 years of flying experience....
The balloon was among 13 that lifted off Friday on a preview night for the Mid-Atlantic Balloon Festival when it drifted into a power line, burst into flames, and fell into heavy woods about 25 miles north of Richmond.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating....
Kirk, the balloon pilot from Delaware, was known by fellow pilots as ‘‘Capt. Kirk,’’ the commander in the “Star Trek’’ tele-vision series. He was a retired Army lieutenant colonel.
Steve Hoffmann, who said he taught Kirk to fly and built the balloon he was piloting, called him ‘‘one of the nicest guys in the world’’ and a consummate professional.
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Also see: 3 feared lost after balloon burns
