The Federal Aviation Administration recently announced new rules for hot air balloon pilots, requiring them to pass a medical exam and have a medical certificate like commercial airplane and helicopter pilots.

The push for requirements started in 2016 when a hot air balloon carrying 16 people crashed into power lines in Texas, resulting in the deaths of all aboard, according to a Nov. 22 news release. The National Transportation Safety Board investigation revealed a history of drug and alcohol convictions for the pilot undiscovered by the FAA.

"Though this is a promising step, I remain concerned about passenger safety on commercial balloon flights," NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said in the release. "We’ve seen the deadly consequences of unscrupulous air tour operators time and again. That is why we need strong FAA oversight of all revenue passenger-carrying flight operations."

"Because the pilot was not required to obtain a medical certificate as a commercial balloon pilot, the FAA did not have further opportunities to identify his convictions through the medical certification process," the news release said of the 2016 incident.

The new rule also comes following NTSB's "long history of concerns about the safety of various revenue passenger-carrying operations," including sightseeing flights and parachute jump flights, the release reported. "Those operations are not subject to the same maintenance, airworthiness and operational requirements as other commercial flight operations."

The NTSB also recommended FAA analyze its oversight and "implement more effective ways to target the oversight to operators that pose the most significant safety risks to the public," the news release said.