What Happened Behind the Hot Air Balloon Disaster

According to statistics, the probability of being injured or losing our lives while traveling by car is many times higher than when traveling with hot air balloons. The reason for this is that balloons are only It can rise into the sky when the sky is clear and the winds are favorable.

So, how did such a low probability happen and how did it happen? What happened in this hot air balloon disaster?

This accident occurs near Wellington, the capital of New Zealand.

The region is one of the most popular places to visit with balloons due to its beautiful scenery. January, when the accident took place, was very hot in that region and It is an ideal time to fly in a hot air balloon.

Before the flight, the crew prepares the balloon for the journey and checks the weather conditions as usual. Making sure everything is OK, pilot Lance Hopping takes off at 06:39. If you’re in the bubble There are 10 passengers other than himself.

After being in the air for half an hour, Lance Hopping receives a call reminding him that landing time is approaching.

It starts to land 5 minutes after the call. Once a few hundred meters away from the landing site, A light breeze comes from the north and the balloon is blown towards the east side of the road. With the effect of this skidding, it starts to rise again.

The balloon changes route and encounters a power line in the process. Even though the pilot tried to get out of the power lines cannot avoid getting entangled in high voltage cables. This being the case, one of the oil gas cylinders in the balloon ruptures and the resulting fire engulfs the entire balloon within a few seconds.

Meanwhile, 2 passengers trying to escape from the fire die by jumping from the basket. The balloon begins to fall rapidly under the influence of the flames. The remaining 9 people, including the pilot, cannot escape being burned.

Subsequently, the police arrive at the scene and examine the debris and broken power lines in the area.

In addition, the bodies of the passengers and the pilot are sent to pathology for examination. The teams do not detect any deficiencies in the balloon’s equipment. However, an experienced pilot like Lance Hopping It is confusing that he made such a tragic mistake.

When the pilot’s pathology result is examined, it becomes clear what caused this disaster. In Lange Hopping’s blood, A narcotic substance is encountered. The amount of this substance indicates that the pilot has been using drugs for a long time.

Additionally, Hopping’s current medical report expired 6 months ago and he has not actually issued a new report. It turns out that he should not be performing his pilot duty. In short, a disaster occurred due to the pilot, and this disaster went down in history as one of the rare accidents in hot air balloons.

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