Hot air balloon hard landing injures passenger; Safety questions lingering
A passenger got injured when a hot air balloon carrying multiple people landed hard in a meadow outside Veendam on Monday evening. The victim was taken to the hospital. The accident happened on the same day that the Dutch Safety Board (OVV) published a report urging the sector to tighten guidelines for passenger safety.
The accident in Veendam, Groningen, happened at around 8:50 p.m. The injured passenger was conscious and able to speak to paramedics, a spokesperson for the fire brigade told RTL Nieuws, but did not say anything else about the extent of their injuries.
The cause of the accident is still unknown. It is clear that it wasn’t caused by a malfunction, the fire brigade spokesperson said. “It was a planned landing that didn’t go entirely smoothly.”
Earlier this month, a 66-year-old woman died in a hard landing of a hot air balloon in Friesland. The balloon, carrying 34 people, was likely caught in a gust of wind, and the basket bounced across the ground multiple times.
The OVV report on Monday was not about the Friesland accident, but an accident in Houten in 2023. Then, two hot air balloons attempted to take off side by side. But as the first balloon took off, a gust of wind caught the second, dragging its basket across the ground. Several passengers fell out, and one got trapped, sustaining serious injuries.
The OVV recommended that the hot air balloon sector develop guidelines to reduce risks during passenger boarding. According to the Safety Board, passengers don’t always know what exactly is expected of them, and clear guidelines could significantly decrease risks.
“Flying in a hot air balloon is a wonderful experience, but not without risk,” said OVV chairman Chris van Dam. “Boarding is a dynamic situation. Responsibility for safe boarding currently rests largely with the passenger. The Dutch Safety Board advocates for guidelines to mitigate risks during the boarding phase. This will help not only the pilots but also the passengers improve safety.”
