Accident to the hot air balloon Cameron Z105 registered F-GMGE on 24/07/2023 at Villecey-sur-Mad

The pilot of F-GMGE took off following the ascent clearance given by the Flight Director of the GEMAB 2023 balloon festival, as the weather conditions had improved. The wind had notably decreased. The balloon, carried by a north-westerly wind, headed towards Rupt de Mad valley. The pilot had probably not anticipated this flight path which took him over an unfavourable area for landing. The information provided during the briefing mentioned a south-westerly wind. The wind subsequently increased slightly and was amplified by the topographical configuration of the area. The wind strengthened up to 15 kt, meaning a proven risk of the basket tipping over on landing. The pilot decided to land as soon as there was a suitable site. He asked his passengers to adopt the safety position for landing but the possibility of the basket tipping over on landing did not seem to be understood by all of the passengers.

After descending with a high vertical speed in order to land, the basket bounced. One passenger, who had been anxious during this flight, jumped out of the basket, destabilizing the balance of the balloon and the pilot’s manoeuvre. Another passenger hit his nose on the side of the basket. He probably let go of the handholds to touch his face and was then ejected from the basket. The pilot was also injured.