Twenty minutes into a scenic hot-air balloon flight, wafting along over the Victorian countryside at an altitude of about 250 metres, a balloon pilot and 15 tourists heard a small explosion from the front left burner – and then fire broke out, a vivid account by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) relates.
On 26 December 2018, last Boxing Day, the scenic charter balloon flight operated by Go Wild Ballooning departed from Wandin, Victoria with a pilot and 15 passengers aboard.
A great experience for all – until the fire started on the outside of the burner. The pilot blasted the flames with one of two on-board extinguishers, but the fire re-ignited almost immediately. After a further minute, the pilot discharged the second fire extinguisher, but again the fire re-ignited.
Then the pilot’s compartment caught fire.
With his compartment now ablaze, the pilot was working fast. He identified a suitable landing place and down went the balloon, its basket slamming into treetops. Dangling ropes tangled in the branches, which whipped around and into the basket, gashing a passenger’s hand.
“As the basket touched the ground, passengers on the right-hand side of the basket jumped out, causing the right side of the basket to lift off the ground again,” the ATSB recounts.
“In response, the pilot quickly pulled the red line to evacuate the hot air from the envelope and brought the basket back down to the ground. The remaining passengers then jumped out and ran to safety.
“The fire continued to burn as the pilot secured the balloon. When emergency services arrived on site, flames had engulfed the balloon. By the time firefighters extinguished the flames, the fire had destroyed the balloon.”
Fire! Hot-air balloon passenger’s photo captures the moment
The relatively formal prose of the ATSB cannot conceal how terrifying the event must have been for those in the balloon. The fire and crash-landing led the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to issue a new Airworthiness Bulletin, but more about that in a minute.
The ATSB warns: “In the event of an in-flight balloon fire, the first priority must be the isolation of the fuel supply at the fuel tank.”
The ATSB investigation found that a fuel leak at the front left burner had caused the fire. After fire broke out, the hand-wheel valve on the liquid outlet of the fuel tank and the pilot burners were not shut off, which resulted in the pilot being unable to control the fire.
“Pilots experience a high workload during in-flight emergencies. However, in the event of an in‑flight balloon fire, the first priority must be isolation of the fuel supply at the fuel tank,” ATSB executive director transport safety, Nat Nagy, stated.
“In addition, it is good practice to rehearse emergency procedures by standing in the basket to run through the checklist steps.”
Nagy noted that further ways to reduce risk to individuals and improve survivability outcomes include wearing appropriate protective clothing, including cotton long‑sleeved shirts and trousers, leather gloves, and enclosed footwear.
“Operators should also consider utilising componentry that provides a visual indication of the system status, for example, 90‑degree valves on liquid outlets.”
What has been done as a result
As a result of the balloon fire, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) released an Airworthiness Bulletin (AWB 02-063) to address some of the pertinent issues surrounding this occurrence. The AWB included:
- a recommendation to inspect critical componentry
- the use of 90-degree shut-off valves for the fuel tank liquid outlets
- a reminder to close off liquid and vapour valves in the event of a fire
- a reminder to wear appropriate personal protective equipment.
In addition, Go Wild Ballooning has advised the ATSB that they have replaced all hand-wheel valves with 90-degree valves on all fuel tanks and reviewed the company policy on protective clothing.
Written by Peter Needham
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