Texas balloon pilot had been arrested for DWI in 2000

The pilot of a hot air balloon that crashed in Texas and killed all 16 people aboard had been arrested in Missouri for driving while intoxicated in 2000, police said, and the Better Business Bureau there had warned consumers about doing business with him after complaints about his balloon touring company.

Alfred "Skip" Nichols, 49, was identified as the pilot by his friend and roommate Alan Lirette, who said that Nichols was a good pilot.

Federal investigators said the balloon, which was operated by Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides, hit high-tension power lines before crashing into a pasture in Central Texas early on Saturday morning. One witness who lives half a kilometre from the site, Margaret Wylie, said she heard popping sounds and saw what looked "like a fireball going up."

Authorities have not publicly named Nichols or the victims of the crash. They said identification of the bodies could be a long process.