What happened
On 10 August 2024, a private flight involving an LBL 90A, registration G-JEMI, was performing an approach into a large field at Forncett End, Norfolk. The pilot had observed several other balloons had already landed at the site. During the early stages of the approach, the crew spotted a horse in a nearby field and decided to postpone their descent until they had cleared the animal.
Following this delay, the pilot initiated a steep descent toward the target landing area. In an attempt to manage the descent rate, the pilot engaged one of the balloon's burners but noted that the unit did not sound as it normally would, suggesting it was not firing correctly. The pilot then switched to the second burner to compensate. However, the time required to switch burners meant the descent rate could not be sufficiently reduced before the basket reached the ground. The resulting heavy landing caused a passenger to strike their shoulder against a gas canister, leading to a broken collarbone.