What happened
On September 29, 2014, at approximately 09:55 local time, a hot air balloon, registration HB-QTX, was attempting to land on an open meadow in the municipality of Mels, Switzerland. During the final approach, a sudden gust of wind drifted the balloon laterally. This movement caused the aircraft to collide with a group of trees, resulting in a tear in the balloon's envelope.
As a consequence of the structural damage to the envelope, the balloon lost its necessary buoyancy. This loss of lift led to a hard landing, where the basket struck the ground with significant force. While there were no fatalities, the incident resulted in one person being seriously injured, while the other three occupants of the basket sustained light or no injuries.
The investigation
An initial summary report was produced based on available statements to document the sequence of events. The investigation focused on the flight phase during landing and the environmental factors present at the time of the occurrence. The aircraft, an M-120 model, sustained a visible tear in its envelope following the impact with the trees.