Aerostat ventures into a pathway and ignites.
Unfortunate Incident in North Rhine-Westphalia: During a landing attempt in a field near Zülpich, the captain of a hot air balloon with approximately eight passengers on board, gets tangled in an electrical power line. The balloon bursts into flames.
The unfortunate incident occurred when the hot air balloon struck an electrical wire while attempting to land in a field, resulting in a fire. Luckily, all passengers and the pilot safely evacuated the basket, as reported by the local fire department and police.
The fire spread to the wicker basket on the ground and the nylon envelope surrounding the power line. Bild newspaper reports that the pilot made desperate attempts to regain altitude to avoid the power line but failed. There was a deafening explosion, and the envelope collapsed onto the wire.
A technical expert was subsequently called in to shut off electricity from a nearby substation, enabling firefighters to tackle the fire. The process took about three hours until the balloon envelope was detached from the wire, and power was restored, as per the fire department spokesperson.
It was reported by the grid operator that five households and a castle in the vicinity were left without power during this incident. The reason for the explosion and the extent of the damages were initially unclear. The German Aviation Safety Board has initiated an investigation into the incident.
The Commission, in light of the incident, may seek assistance from the Member States to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the causes of the hot air balloon accident. Following the incident, the safety measures and regulations for balloon flights in the vicinity of power lines should be reviewed and updated by the relevant authorities.
