Chilling footage shows huge blaze moments after hot air balloon crashed in Arizona desert and killed four

ELOY, ARIZONA: A hot air balloon ride is supposed to be a peaceful, majestic experience, floating high above and taking in gorgeous views.

But on Sunday morning, January 14, just north of Eloy, Arizona, a hot air balloon trip turned into tragedy when the aircraft abruptly crashed into the desert ground moments after eight skydivers jumped out.

The balloon erupted into a raging fireball, killing four of the five passengers still onboard and gravely injuring one.

Horrific new footage shows the aftermath of the deadly incident, which claimed the lives of the pilot, two women in their 20s, and a 28-year-old man just minutes after he sent his girlfriend a haunting final text.

Federal investigators are still trying to determine what caused the balloon to plummet, as reported by Daily Mail.

Horrifying footage shows raging fire and towering plume of black smoke

A hot air balloon carrying 13 people crashed in a desert area north of Eloy, Arizona on Sunday morning, just minutes after eight skydivers successfully jumped from the aircraft.

The balloon suddenly went down around 8 am following an unspecified problem, bursting into flames upon impact and killing four of the five remaining passengers.

The only survivor of the crash is 23-year-old Valerie Stutterheim, a Scottsdale native currently in critical condition at a local hospital.

The other passengers killed were 28-year-old Kaitlynn "Katie" Bartom, a nurse from Indiana; 28-year-old Chayton Wiescholek from Michigan; 24-year-old Atahan Kiliccote from California; and 37-year old pilot Cornelius Van Der Walt, a South African residing in Eloy.

Horrifying footage captured immediately after the incident shows a raging fire and towering plume of black smoke coming from the crash site as firefighters worked to control the blaze.

The balloon crashed in a rural desert area about five miles from downtown Eloy.

One passenger sent last text to girlfriend before plummeting from sky in hot air balloon crash

Moments before the balloon dropped from the sky, passenger Chayton texted his girlfriend Kinsey, one of the eight skydivers who had jumped safely minutes earlier.

"Goodbye, this isn't going to be good, I love you," he wrote, likely aware that the aircraft was in grave danger.

Kinsey, who was the last person to hear from Chayton before his tragic death, saw the ominous message after landing and immediately ran two miles to try to reach him, according to his parents.

Tragically, when she got to the crash site, it was too late.

The other skydivers landed as planned at the Eloy Municipal Airport near the scene of the accident, unaware of the horror that would soon unfold behind them.

"It's just an absolute tragedy for our community and for the people that we're working with today," said Eloy Police Chief Byron Gwaltney at a recent press conference.