Skip Nichols was a chief pilot in New Braunfels, Texas. ^[1] Many people in his life, including his ex girlfriend, Wendy Bartch, considered Skip to be a fun and kind person who loved nature and riding on his hot air balloon.

2016 Hot Air Balloon Crash in Lockhart, Texas

On July 30th, 2016, Skip was the pilot in the biggest hot air balloon crash in the history of United States. The crash occurred in Lockhart, Texas, just 30 miles away from Austin. The company that Skip worked worked for is the Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides is based in New Braunfels, Texas. The balloon he notoriously used which has a big happy face on it, crashed into the power lines which then ignited the basket on fire. The fire killed the 16 people on board, including Skip.

The National Transportation Safety Board will take the lead in the investigation.

Since the death of skip, people around the country have offered to help look after Skip's dogs, whom he loved very much.