What happened
On August 22, 2013, at approximately 07:05 UTC, a Cameron Ballons Ltd. Z-140 hot air balloon was involved in a fatal accident near Kaiserweg in Oberndorf, Tyrol. The flight, which began around 05:00 UTC from Ellmau with five passengers, had concluded its flight path and landed on a wet meadow.
Following the landing, the pilot instructed four of the five passengers to exit the basket. Along with a ground assistant, these passengers attempted to move the basket approximately 20 meters toward the Kaiserweg. During this maneuvering process, the pilot operated the burner several times for short durations. This increased the envelope temperature to a level that caused the balloon to lift off the ground unexpectedly.
As the balloon ascended, three of the passengers released their hold on the basket. However, one passenger and the ground assistant remained attached to the exterior of the basket. The passenger released their grip at an altitude of approximately 2 meters, while the ground assistant remained attached until they fell from a significant height, resulting in one fatality.