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A sightseeing balloon with 9 passengers on board collided with the side of a tree after entering fog during the descent to locate a suitable landing area, an ATSB investigation report details.
The Floating Images Australia-operated Kavanagh E-240 balloon was conducting a scenic flight near Ipswich, Queensland on the morning of 8 October 2021, with a pilot and the 9 passengers on board.
About 55 minutes into the flight, to the south of the Amberley RAAF Base, the pilot commenced a descent to locate a suitable landing area, during which the balloon entered an area of localised fog where visibility reduced to 10 metres.
The pilot continued the descent into the fog until a tree was observed in the path of the balloon. The pilot attempted to avoid the tree by initiating a climb.
However, due to the 20-30 seconds required before the descent could be arrested and a climb commenced, there was insufficient time for the tree to be avoided.
The balloon came to rest on the side of the tree, damaging the lower part of the balloon envelope.
The pilot subsequently climbed the balloon off the tree and above the fog. The flight continued to an uneventful landing in a nearby paddock that was clear of fog, near the Ipswich suburb of Yamanto.
While there were no injuries, 19 of the balloon’s 480 sewn panels required either repair or replacement.
“The ATSB investigation found that, contrary to the visual flight rules visibility requirement, the pilot entered an area of reduced visibility in which the visibility was 10 metres,” noted ATSB Director Transport Safety Stuart Macleod.
“This did not allow sufficient time to complete an avoidance manoeuvre when an obstacle was observed, as a result the balloon collided with a tree and the balloon envelope was damaged.”
In some circumstances, balloons are permitted to fly in significantly lower visibility than other types of aircraft. While this is mainly due to their inherently low flight speed, it also considerably reduces the available time to see obstacles.
“As balloons can only manoeuvre vertically and significant time may be required to transition from a descent to a climb, they have limited capability to avoid obstacles,” Mr Macleod noted.
“Therefore, to reduce the collision risk if a balloon enters an area of visibility less than that permitted by the visual flight rules, pilots should ensure that an immediate recovery is commenced.”
Read the report: Collision with terrain involving Kavanagh E-240 Balloon, VH LUD 3.5 km east south east of RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland on 8 October 2021