What happened
On May 26, 2016, an ULTRAMAGIC N180 hot air balloon, registration EC-IZI, was conducting a commercial tourist flight near Manacor, Mallorca. The flight, operated by Escuela Ricardo Aracil, initially proceeded under favorable weather conditions with light winds. However, approximately 30 minutes into the flight, wind speeds increased, prompting the pilot to attempt an early landing in an unplowed field.
During the first landing attempt, the wind pushed the basket toward a stone wall, forcing the pilot to abort the maneuver and return to the air. The pilot then proceeded to a secondary landing site approximately 200 meters away. Because the wind speed had risen to approximately 20 km/h, the pilot warned the passengers that the landing would be more forceful. The basket struck the ground heavily and tipped over, sliding several meters before coming to a halt. While the aircraft sustained no damage, one passenger suffered two fractured metatarsals in the right foot.
The investigation
The CIAIAC investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the impact and the effectiveness of the safety briefings provided to the passengers. The investigation confirmed that the pilot had performed pre-flight wind checks using a helium balloon and had provided safety briefings in languages understood by the Swiss passengers (German and French).
Investigators examined the company's Operations Manual, which contained different safety positions for different wind conditions. They noted that while the pilot had briefed passengers on the standard landing position for light winds, the specific instructions for high-wind or high-speed horizontal landings—which involve pressing the back or shoulders against the top of the basket—were not included in the passenger briefing sections of the manual.