What happened
On April 20, 2019, an Ultramagic T180 hot air balloon, registration F-HBDR, was conducting a commercial sightseeing flight near Abbaretz, France. The flight, operated by Bulle d’Air, departed from Châteaubert with the pilot and six passengers.
As the flight neared its conclusion, the pilot identified a suitable field for landing. During the descent, the pilot had already passed over a road lined with telephone lines. While approaching the chosen landing site, the pilot noticed a muddy area within the field and intended to land before reaching it. During this maneuver, the pilot spotted an electrical line perpendicular to the flight path, located approximately twenty meters away.
In an attempt to avoid a collision with the cables, the pilot immediately pulled the vent cord to deflate the envelope and accelerate the descent. The lower portion of the envelope struck the electrical cables, and the basket made contact with the ground. The impact caused two of the three electrical cables to snap and resulted in the destruction of two utility poles, while a third pole sustained minor damage. There were no fatalities or injuries among the seven occupants.
The investigation
The BEA investigation focused on the flight path and the visibility of obstacles. Analysis of the aircraft's trajectory and the site conditions revealed that the balloon approached the power lines at a nearly perpendicular angle. The cables were positioned at a height of approximately six meters.
Investigators found physical evidence of the impact on the envelope, including cable marks on the Nomex section and damage caused by an electrical arc on five different fabric panels. The investigation also examined the pilot's cockpit actions, noting that the pilot had turned off the navigation lights prior to the encounter and had instructed passengers to adopt a safety position.
Findings
The investigation established that the late detection of the electrical line was the primary factor in the collision. Several contributing elements were identified:
- The pilot's attention was heavily focused on the telephone lines bordering the field and the specific muddy area targeted for landing.
- A nearby utility pole was obscured by a tree, making the presence of the electrical line difficult to discern during flight.
- The inherent difficulty of identifying all obstacles within a rural landing zone during a descent.
The pilot's decision to maintain some inflation in the envelope after the initial impact helped facilitate a safe evacuation of the passengers away from the downed live wires.