MI Man, 3 Others Killed In Hot Air Balloon Crash In Arizona: Police

ELOY, MI — Four people, including a Michigan man, were killed Sunday in a hot air balloon crash in Arizona, according to police.

Chayton Wiescholek, 28, from Union City, Michigan, was among the four people killed after the ballon crashed around 7:50 a.m. in Eloy, which is a city about 65 miles south of Phoenix, according to police.

The other three people killed in the crash included:

• Kaitlynn Bartrom, 28, from Andrews, Indiana
• Atahan Kiliccote, 24, from Cupertino, California
• Cornelius Van Der Walt, 37, originally from South Africa, residing in Eloy, AZ. He was identified as the pilot

In addition, one person, identified as Valerie Stutterheim, 23, of Scottsdale, AZ, was taken to a nearby hospital where she was listed in critical condition, according to police.

There were 13 people on the hot air balloon, including eight skydivers, four passengers and the pilot, according to police.

Investigators do not believe the crash was related to skydiving. They do not know what caused the balloon to crash, only noting "something catastrophic occurred with the balloon, causing it to crash to the ground."

"It is important to clarify that the skydiving was intentional and was successfully completed by all skydivers before any issues with the hot air balloon were evident," police said.