What happened
On August 19, 2006, a Schröder / Fire G hot air balloon carrying seven passengers departed from a meadow southeast of Langenau for a commercial flight. Shortly after takeoff, the crew observed rain bands moving toward Ulm. To avoid obstacles such as trees and power lines, the pilot maintained a low altitude. As the flight progressed, the balloon entered a precipitation area where wind speeds increased significantly.
Approximately 25 minutes into the flight, while crossing the A8 motorway southwest of Riedheim, the pilot decided to terminate the flight early and announced an emergency landing. The balloon made a hard impact in a cornfield roughly 5 km from the launch site. The impact caused the basket to tip, ejecting the pilot and one passenger, both of whom sustained minor injuries.
Following a short period of dragging on the ground, the balloon—now unmanned—ascended again. The uncontrolled aircraft subsequently collided with a 110-kV overhead power line at an altitude of approximately 18 meters. The collision caused an electric arc and resulted in the failure of a lattice pylon. The basket, containing the remaining passengers, came to rest beneath the de-energized lines. During an attempt to re-energize the line, a second arc occurred near the burner assembly. All remaining passengers eventually exited the basket with minor injuries.
The investigation
The BFU examined the flight preparations, meteorological data, and the mechanical state of the aircraft. The investigation reviewed the pilot's weather briefing, which had been obtained earlier that morning. Investigators also inspected the basket, the burner assembly, and the securing mechanisms for the gas cylinders. The investigation also analyzed local radar records from the period leading up to the accident.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was a hard landing during the premature termination of the flight, which prevented the aircraft from remaining grounded.
- The loss of control and subsequent collision with the power lines occurred because the pilot and one passenger were ejected during the initial impact, reducing the weight in the basket and allowing the balloon to ascend uncontrollably.
- The pilot failed to obtain updated weather information prior to takeoff. While the morning briefing had warned of potential thunderstorms, the pilot did not check for more recent updates, which would have shown an approaching weather front via radar.
- The gas cylinders were improperly secured with only one strap each, rather than the two straps required by the manufacturer; one cylinder had actually slipped from its mount during the impact.
- The pilot had launched from a meadow without the landowner's permission.
Safety action
No specific safety recommendations were recorded in the provided source material.