Lindstrand 105A Balloon, G-RIMB, 11 December 2005

Lindstrand 105A hot air balloon

Summary:

The balloon encountered an unexpectedly strong wind during an attempt to land at the crest of a hill and collided with power cables. It was dragged along the cables until one set of flying wires broke and the basket fell about 12 ft onto a road. It was then dragged across the road by the envelope until finally coming to rest against a high stone wall. Forecasts available prior to the accident indicated that meteorological conditions would be suitable for the intended flight. However, local topographical effects caused the wind speed to increase in an unpredictable manner and the winter environment, which consisted of flattened grass and leafless trees, resulted in an absence of visual clues which might otherwise have alerted the commander to conditions on the surface.

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Lindstrand 105A hot air balloon, G-RIMB 06-06.pdf (1,550.77 kb)

Published 10 December 2014