What happened
On 10 April 2025, a Cameron Z-275 hot air balloon, registration G-VBFT, was conducting a commercial passenger flight near Earls Col andne, Essex. After a 40-minute flight, the pilot began a descent to land in a field near the airfield. While the pilot had identified and accounted for power cables running along a nearby road, a second set of wires located approximately 30 feet inside the landing field went unnoticed during the approach.
As the basket touched down and began to drag, the descending envelope struck these secondary wires, causing them to break. The falling cables ignited the grass and created an ignition source beneath the basket, leading to a fire. During the subsequent emergency evacuation, one passenger sustained a serious injury involving an electric shock after touching the basket structure while simultaneously making contact with the ground. Another passenger sustained a minor injury.
The investigation
The investigation examined the aircraft's flight path, the pilot's approach, and the available navigational aids. It was established that the pilot's primary aeronautical charts, provided by the operator, were at a scale of 1:50,000 and did not depict low-level power lines. Although the pilot utilized personal Ordnance Survey maps, these also failed to show the specific wires involved in the accident.
Investigators also reviewed the manufacturer's flight manual, which provides specific emergency procedures for contact with electric power lines and ground fires. The investigation found that while the pilot followed the manual's instructions regarding evacuation, the rapid onset of the fire prevented the pilot from warning passengers about the potential for the basket's metal frame to become electrically live.
Findings
- The pilot did not identify the second set of power cables during the approach to the landing site.
- The cables were not depicted on the aeronautical charts or the Ordnance Survey maps used by the pilot.
- The balloon struck low-level power cables that were not visible or mapped during the descent.
- The broken wires caused an ignition that started a fire beneath the basket.
- The pilot was unable to warn passengers of the risk of electrocution due to the speed of the developing fire.