History of the Flight
On 4 March 2025, a LINDSTRAND 180A balloon registered F-HCMP operated by JLJballoon departed from La Roque-Gageac at approximately 17:00 local time. The pilot and seven passengers were on board. The balloon headed westward, climbing to around 600 ft. It then descended to roughly 100 ft to fly over the Dordogne River before ascending again. Approaching a second branch of the Dordogne with a cliff ahead, the pilot descended once more. He activated the burners to fly over the cliff, but the balloon was slow to gain altitude. The envelope caught on trees, and the basket came to rest on a bank on the cliff side. After the impact, the pilot closed the fuel tanks, extinguished the pilot lights, bled the systems, and closed the valves. A ten-year-old passenger panicked, prompting the pilot to evacuate him. While descending a steep slope, the pilot slipped on a pebble and injured his back. Other passengers remained in the basket until emergency services arrived.
Pilot Information and Weather
The 64-year-old pilot held a balloon pilot license and had logged approximately 4,300 ascents. According to Météo-France, meteorological conditions at the accident site included wind from 120° at 4 kt with gusts up to 14 kt, visibility greater than 10 km, few high clouds, temperature 19°C, dew point 1°C, and QNH 1020 hPa. The operator's flight sheet indicated a south-easterly wind of 13 km/h (7 kt), CAVOK, and temperature 18°C.
Pilot's Statement
The pilot stated that the flight had been planned for a few days with favourable weather conditions. After checking passenger weights and providing a briefing, the envelope was inflated and take-off was smooth. The easterly wind directed the balloon toward the Marqueyssac cliffs. The pilot noted that the cliffs faced east and the sun was to the west; as the balloon descended, it passed into shade. He explained that normally, entering shade causes cool air to slow descent, but he did not notice the balloon continuing to descend quickly and did not take the controls earlier because he was providing tourist information. He attributed his delayed reaction to reduced vigilance due to his experience. When he realised the altitude was too low, he reactivated all burners including backups, but the balloon did not rise in time. The pilot described the basket as stable after the collision and stated that he followed post-landing procedures, ensuring no danger. He decided to evacuate the terrified ten-year-old passenger, securing himself with his harness strap before slipping on a pebble and injuring his back. He could not provide additional briefing before the collision due to burner noise; the pre-flight briefing had covered footwear, onboard equipment, safety instructions, and pictograms, but he had not emphasized these because passengers were young and healthy.
Overflight Height Regulations
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 923/2012 (SERA) requires balloons to maintain a minimum height of 150 m (500 ft) outside congested areas unless they pose no risk to persons or property and remain at least 150 m from people, vehicles, surface vessels, and artificial obstacles. The operator's operations manual reiterates these rules and permits very low flight when necessary, especially during approach and landing.
Conclusions
The investigation concluded that while flying below the minimum height, the pilot, occupied with providing tourist information, did not notice the ongoing descent and did not act in time. The balloon's inertia prevented avoidance of the trees when the burners were restarted. The pilot's injury occurred during passenger evacuation. Contributing factors included the decision to fly at very low altitude with a cliff ahead and overconfidence due to experience, leading to reduced vigilance.