Balloon is still grounded for now

A monthlong Federal Aviation Administration investigation of the Orange County Great Park balloon ride could not determine if operators violated safety regulations as alleged by a former employee, but found several deficiencies, including insufficient measurement of clouds and visibility, inadequate record keeping, and the lack of an instruction manual, a spokesman said Tuesday.

The FAA was “unable to corroborate” the claims of safety violations, but found “several administrative errors and procedural deficiencies” with the permit to operate the balloon, said spokesman Ian Gregor, reading from a March 14 letter to former pilot Jonathan Bradford.

In a letter to the FAA last month, Bradford said the ballon’s chief pilot showed “cavalier disregard” for the agency’s regulations by flying in clouds, during conditions of low visibility and high wind, and by deliberately soaring higher than its permit allows. The city grounded the ride two weeks later.