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1 Year Since Deadly Texas Hot Air Balloon Crash

LOCKHART (AP) - Friends and relatives of 16 people killed a year ago Sunday when a hot air balloon crashed in Central Texas have marked the anniversary with a church service and memorial flowers.

A few dozen people attended a church service Saturday and then went to the site of the July 30, 2016, crash near Lockhart, about 30 miles south of Austin.

The crash remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. The balloon struck some power lines before plunging into a pasture.

Medical experts testified at a December hearing in Washington that the pilot, Alfred "Skip" Nichols, was taking medications that should have precluded him from flying and that he took the 15 passengers up in the balloon despite knowing the weather wasn't good.

(© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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