Balloon pilot had drink-driving charge

The pilot of a hot air balloon that crashed in Texas and killed all 16 people aboard was arrested in Missouri in 2000 for driving while intoxicated, and the Better Business Bureau warned consumers about doing business with the balloon company he used to operate in that state.

Authorities haven’t publicly named anyone killed in the crash, saying it could take a while to identify the bodies.

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