On August 10, 2023, an AH-8 COMMANDER hot air balloon, registration RA-0432G, was involved in a fatal accident near the village of Tatarintsevo in the Ramenki district of the Russian Federation. The flight was intended to provide paid passenger services based on a verbal agreement.
Prior to the incident, the pilot and two assistants arrived at a launch site near Bronnitsy at approximately 01:00. The aircraft, registration RA-0432G, was initially in transport and storage mode. Records indicate that no IFR flight permit had been issued for the flight, and the pilot had not established communication with the MCC Air Traffic Control branch. Additionally, the pilot was not a registered user of the official MetAvia2 meteorological web service.
During the flight operations, a fire ignited in the area between the lower part of the balloon envelope and the upper part of the gondola basket. The incident resulted in one fatality.
An investigation by the Expert-Forensic Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation examined the ignition source. The investigation focused on the space between the balloon envelope and the basket where the fire occurred.