What happened
On September 1, 2016, at approximately 16:35 UTC, a Schroeder G 30/24 hot air balloon, registered SP-BDS, was observed operating at an altitude of approximately 3,000 ft AMSL within the Warsaw TMA (EPWA) near the village of Łubienica. The flight was being conducted by a pilot and two passengers. At the time of the observation, the balloon was operating without a filed flight plan and was not in communication with air traffic control services.
The investigation
The investigation established that the balloon had descended to an altitude between 2,750 and 2,800 ft AMS and had subsequently begun a climb above 2,000 ft. During the post-flight analysis, the pilot reported that he believed the balloon was already outside the northern boundary of the TMA airspace when he initiated the ascent. However, the investigation confirmed that the northern boundary of the TMA EPWA A was actually located approximately 1.5 NM north of Łubienica, meaning the aircraft was still within controlled airspace.
Findings
- The primary cause of the airspace infringement was the pilot's incorrect assessment of the balloon's geographic position relative to the vertical limits of the controlled airspace.
- The pilot initiated a climb based on the mistaken belief that the aircraft had already exited the TMA boundary.