The hot air balloon owner who crashed in Texas and killed all 16 people aboard had been arrested for drunken driving four times, been to prison twice and charged with drug offences - but was still allowed to keep his pilot's licence.

Alfred 'Skip' Nichols, who had also been stripped of his motor license at least twice, 'couldn't drive a car but he could pilot a hot-air balloon,' said an attorney who represented a passenger who sued Nichols in 2013.

The passenger said she was hurt when Nichols crash-landed a balloon in the St. Louis suburbs.

The 49-year-old pilot pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated in St. Louis County in 1990, then twice in 2002 and again in 2010, according to online court records.

He was also convicted of a drug crime in 2000 and spent about a year and a half in prison before being paroled. He was returned to prison in April 2010 after his parole was revoked because of his drunken driving conviction that year. He was paroled again in January 2012.

He also had a long history of customer complaints against his balloon-ride companies in Missouri and Illinois dating back to 1997. Customers reported to the Better Business Bureau that their rides would get canceled at the last minute and their fees never refunded.

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Alfred 'Skip' Nichols (center, in a photo uploaded to Facebook last week) was listed as the owner of HOT on the Better Business Bureau website, which gave the company a D+ rating

When pilots apply for a ballooning certificate with the Federal Aviation Administration, they are not required to disclose any prior drunken driving convictions, only drug convictions, said Balloon Federation of America spokesman Patrick Cannon, who called that a loophole in the law.

He noted that the ballooning certificate specifically says not to include alcohol offenses involving a motor vehicle, as those are covered on the FAA's medical application. But balloon and hang-glider pilots, among others, are exempt from having to submit a medical application.

Nichols got his commercial license to pilot hot-air balloons in Missouri in July 1996. That predates his 2000 felony drug conviction. His first drunken driving conviction came in 1990.

All pilots are supposed to notify the FAA within 60 days of a drug or alcohol conviction. However, Cannon said there is no oversight of that reporting.

The NTSB have yet to rule on what likely caused the crash or if pilot error was in any way to blame.

The former girlfriend, Wendy Bartch, said Nichols 'did not fly when he wasn't supposed to. Having other people's lives at stake was Skip's primary concern.'

She added that Nichols was a recovering alcoholic but had been sober for four years and never piloted a balloon drunk.

'That's the only thing I want to talk about, is that he's a great pilot,' his housemate and friend Alan Lirette said from their home in Kyle, Texas.

'There's going to be all kinds of reports out in the press and I want a positive image there too.'

Nichols had lived in Missouri before moving to Texas. He was known as 'Skip' in both places and owned a hot air balloon touring company in St. Louis County at the time.

There have also been complaints against Heart of Texas, according to reports.

The Better Business Bureau gave it a rating of D+ and it had a Yelp rating of 1.5 stars mostly over canceled flights.

The company has now suspended operations and put out a statement confirming the pilot was Nichols.

'The horrific crash near Lockhart, Texas has taken from us our owner and Chief Pilot, Skip Nichols, as well as 15 passengers, all of whom saw what was planned to be a special day turn into an unspeakable tragedy,' it said.

The balloon in a photo taken by a witness shortly after take-off before it crashed

Skip Nichols (pictured left, with passengers on a 2015 flight and right) has been identified as the balloon's pilot with the company Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides

The scene of the fatal balloon crash can be seen from a distance above. The sheriff's office received a 911 call at 7.44am

Federal investigators said the balloon hit high-tension power lines before crashing into a pasture in Central Texas early Saturday morning.

The balloon fabric was found three quarters of a mile from where the basket hit the ground.

NTSB board member Robert Sumwalt said the balloon had plummeted to the ground after traveling for eight miles.

He also said the type of balloon being used was also employed in another accident, according to NBC.

There have been 60 hot air balloon crashes in the U.S. since 2011 with six causing fatalities.

One witness who lives a quarter-mile from the site, Margaret Wylie, said she heard popping sounds and saw what looked 'like a fireball going up.'

There were reports of foggy weather in the area around the time of the flight.

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

Sheriff Daniel Law said people could simply walk up and buy a ticket, making it more difficult to identify the victims.

However, many have been identified by family members.

Authorities said there were no survivors after the hot air balloon carrying 16 people caught fire and crashed in Texas. The scene is pictured above

Investigation: The NTSB is now investigating the cause of the crash

Paige Brabson, who just gave birth to her first child, bought tickets to the hot air balloon ride as a Mother's Day gift for her own mom Lorilee Brabson. A family member confirmed their deaths.

Britney Reeves Hedin wrote a touching tribute on Facebook remembering Lorilee as an 'excellent example of loving kindness to all.'

She also added: 'My heart is completely broken for their family. Her daughter has a very young little girl and life was just starting for them.'

They shared a series of photos of themselves boarding the balloon online.

Matt Rowan, a professor with the US Army Institute of Surgical Research, was also identified along with his wife Sunday Rowan, by grieving family members. The couple from San Antonio married in February.

Rowan wanted to use his work to help soldiers like his Iraq veteran brother Joshua.

Joshua told NBC: 'They're going to be incredibly missed. They made a difference in so many people's lives.'

The couple shared two tragic photographs from the balloon with relatives.

Paige Brabson (left), who just gave birth to her first child, bought tickets to the hot air balloon ride as a Mother's Day gift for her mom Lorilee Brabson (right). A family member confirmed their deaths

Britney Reeves Hedin wrote a touching tribute on Facebook remembering Lorilee (left) as an 'excellent example of loving kindness to all.' She also added that life was just starting for Paige (right)

Gift: Paige Brabson, who just gave birth to her first child, bought tickets to the hot air balloon ride as a Mother's Day present for her own mom Lorilee Brabson

Another married couple, Tresa and Joe Owens, died in the crash on Saturday shortly after they celebrated their 17th wedding anniversary, according to his sister, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Joe, who would have turned 44 next month, worked as a butcher at the grocery store H-E-B, while Tresa enjoyed a long career at the TigerLand Child Care.

A GoFundMe page set up in their honor stated: 'They were wonderful people who loved each other very much.

Matt Rowan, a professor with the US Army Institute of Surgical Research, was also identified along with his wife Sunday Rowan, by grieving family members. The couple from San Antonio married in February

The Rowans shared photos from the tragic balloon ride on social media

Tragic last photo: Newlywed Matt Rowan shared this final image from inside the balloon to a Facebook group at 7.29am on Saturday

'I cannot express how great of a blessing they both were to their family and friends. They adored their children and grandchildren, and loved nothing more than spending time with them.

Their friend Holly Huckabee also from Katy was another named among the dead.

Ground crew members told investigators that they launched about 20 minutes after the expected 6:45 am time. The balloon traveled about 8 miles from takeoff to crash, and the basket was found about three-quarters of a mile from the balloon itself.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators recovered 14 personal electronic devices, including cellphones, an iPad and three cameras from the crash site, which will be sent to a lab in Washington for analysis.