ERA21LA290

The balloon departed with the pilot and four passengers for a commercial sightseeing flight. About 45 minutes into the flight, the burner’s pilot light extinguished. The pilot told the passengers that he had to switch propane tanks; however, he could not locate the striker to relight the burner. The balloon started to descend while the pilot searched the balloon basket for the striker, and several minutes later, he located a backup striker. The balloon had descended close to the ground by the time the pilot re-lit the pilot light, and he could not get the balloon to climb before impacting a field. One passenger and the pilot were thrown from the basket upon impact. The balloon then started to rise, and the pilot’s foot was trapped between the balloon attach rope and the basket frame. The pilot untangled his foot but remained hanging below the basket for about 1 mile before falling to a field and suffering fatal injuries. The remaining passengers contacted ground support personnel via a handheld radio and received instructions on how to operate the balloon controls in preparation for landing. The balloon traveled about another 3.5 miles before landing in trees. Examination of the balloon did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Had the pilot been able to relight the burner in a timely manner, it was likely that he would have been able to sufficiently arrest the balloon’s descent rate to prevent the hard landing.

On July 15, 2021, about 1945 eastern daylight time, a Cameron Balloons 0-105, N2925L, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Piermont, New Hampshire. The pilot was fatally injured, one passenger received minor injuries, and three passengers were not injured. The balloon was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 commercial sightseeing flight. The pilot was the owner and operator of the balloon. According to a passenger, the balloon departed Post Mills Airport (2B9), Post Mills, Vermont, about 1830 with the pilot and four passengers onboard and flew northeast along the Connecticut River toward Bradford, Vermont. The balloon was aloft about 45 minutes when the pilot reported the pilot light on the burner had extinguished. He changed the propane tank, but could not locate the striker to relight the burner. The balloon started to descend while the pilot searched the balloon basket for the striker. He did not locate the original striker, but did locate the backup in a supply pocket several minutes later. The balloon had descended close to the ground by then and the pilot re-lit the pilot light; however, he could not get the balloon to climb before impacting a field. One passenger and the pilot were thrown from the basket upon impact. The balloon then started to rise, and the pilot’s foot was trapped between the balloon attach rope and the basket frame. The pilot untangled his foot, but remained hanging below the basket for an estimated 1.25 miles before falling to a field near the Connecticut River. The remaining passengers contacted the balloon ground support personnel via a handheld radio and received instructions on how to operate the balloon controls in preparation for landing. The balloon traveled about 3.45 miles from the ejection site before landing in trees. The pilot, age 72, held a commercial pilot certificate with a rating for lighter-than-air balloon and private privileges for airplane single-engine land. Additionally, he held a repairman certificate for hot air balloon and airship. Review of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records revealed that the pilot’s most recent third-class medical certificate was issued on May 25, 1993. At that time, he reported a total flight experience of 4,500 hours. The pilot’s logbook was not recovered. The aircraft logbooks were not recovered. Review of the FAA database revealed that the registration matched a Cameron balloon manufactured in 1984; however, the pilot had modified the balloon such that, at the time of the accident, no component of the balloon was manufactured by Cameron. The balloon was examined following its recovery to the pilot’s hangar. The examination revealed that the basket and burner were originally manufactured by Galaxy Balloons and modified by the pilot, the propane gas tanks were manufactured by Worthington, and the envelope was built by the pilot. The basket, propane tanks, and burner operated normally. The burner’s pilot lightlighted without difficulty. The envelope was removed from its storage bag and laid out for examination. No preimpact anomalies were noted with the basket or envelope that would have precluded normal operation. Toxicological testing of the pilot revealed metoprolol (a beta blocker to reduce blood pressure) in blood and urine.