What happened
On the morning of September 21, 2008, an ULTRAMAGIC N210 hot air balloon, registration EC-HXP, departed from the Altos de la Piedad area near Segovia, Spain, for a sightseeing flight. The aircraft was carrying the pilot and ten passengers.
After approximately 15 minutes of normal flight, the meteorological conditions began to deteriorate rapidly. The pilot reported that wind intensity and direction changed suddenly, creating turbulence and driving the balloon toward nearby mountains. To avoid the risk of flying over the mountains without certainty of safety, the pilot decided to execute an emergency landing.
Prior to impact, the pilot instructed the passengers to adopt a safety position, including flexing their knees and gripping the basket handles firmly. The landing was hard; the basket struck several embankments and was dragged across the ground for approximately 100 meters. The impact resulted in 9 injuries, including 1 serious injury, among the passengers. The aircraft sustained no damage.
The investigation
The investigation was initiated following a request from the Segovia Court of Instruction. Investigators examined meteorological data from the Segovia Observatory and local automated stations, which confirmed that while initial conditions were favorable, wind gusts had reached approximately 40 km/h.
The investigation also reviewed the aircraft's maintenance logs, which showed the ULTRAMAGIC N210 was fully compliant with its maintenance program, and the pilot's adherence to the flight manual's emergency procedures regarding passenger safety instructions.