2011 Somerset hot air balloon crash
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 1 January 2011 at 9:30 am GMT |
| Summary | Hot-air balloon crash |
| Site | Westfield, Somerset, near Bath, United Kingdom 51°17′24″N 2°27′19″W / 51.2899°N 2.4552°WCoordinates: 51°17′24″N 2°27′19″W / 51.2899°N 2.4552°W ⧼validator-fatal-error⧽ |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Hot-air balloon |
| Aircraft name | Cameron A120 craft[1] |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 2 (all) |
| Survivors | 0 |
Early in the morning on New Year's Day, 1 January 2011, a hot air balloon attempting a high altitude flight crashed at Pratten's Bowls Club in Westfield, Somerset, near Bath, England. No other aircraft and no-one on the ground were involved. Witnesses saw flames coming from the basket. The basket was not intact when it crashed and the canopy was trailing up. The crash is believed to have narrowly missed a school, a row of houses,[2] and Fosseway Golf Club.[3]
Crash[edit]
Pilot Lee Pibworth, 42, and Allan Burnett, 55, died in the crash.[4] Burnett was a local scoutmaster on a trip given to him by his son as a birthday present.[1]
Pibworth, the pilot, had been trying to reach an altitude of more than 19,700 ft (6,000m),[2] one of the criteria needed for a British Balloon and Airship Club (BBAC) gold medal.[4] The pair set off from their launch site at Chelwood, near Bristol. The balloon was being monitored by Bristol Air Traffic Control.[5] At 21,780 ft (6,639m), the ground crew heard from Burnett who told them they were going to start their descent. Minutes later the balloon crashed.[4]
A ground crew, containing some family members, lost the balloon in cloud but arrived on scene soon after the crash.
The balloon contained four liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders which were venting gas. It was the first fatal balloon crash in the local area for roughly 40 years.[6] Nineteen fire-fighters including those from Avon Fire and Rescue Service extinguished the flames after the crash.[5]
Investigation[edit]
An investigation was launched by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB). They concluded that inexperience and a shortage of oxygen at high-altitude possibly caused the crash. The AAIB said the lack of oxygen at altitude might have affected the pair's judgement as they tried to descend.[7] It was concluded that Pibworth died on impact and a subsequent fire killed Burnett. The balloon's rate of climb had exceeded the recommended speed of 1,100 ft (335m) per minute. The AAIB report stated the crash was down to "a combination of a mishandled parachute valve (which allows the controlled release of hot air), inexperience of lock tops, (and) inexperience with a large balloon at high rates of ascent".[4]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Scout master killed in balloon accident was given trip by son". The Telegraph. 2 January 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Tributes paid to dead balloonists after Somerset crash". BBC News. 3 January 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
- ↑ Williams, Matt (1 January 2011). "Two killed in hot air balloon crash". The Independent. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "'Inexperience' led to fatal balloon crash in Somerset". BBC News. 13 October 2011.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Two die as hot air balloon explodes in fireball after plummeting to ground". SWNS.com. 2 January 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
- ↑ "Two killed in hot air balloon crash in Somerset". BBC News. 1 January 2011.
- ↑ "Somerset hot air balloon crash pilot 'lacked experience'". Western Daily Press. 13 October 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
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