Eleven hot-air balloonists die in fiery plunge in New Zealand
Nation’s worst air accident in over 30 years
Ahot-air balloon burst into flames and crashed in New Zealand today, killing all 11 people on board in the country’s worst air accident in more than three decades.
Police said the balloon appeared to have caught fire before crashing into farmland near Carterton, about 80 kilometres northeast of Wellington on New Zealand’s North Island.
“Sadly, the pilot and 10 passengers on-board have not survived,” Wellington District Commander Superintendent Mike Rusbatch said.
The accident occurred in calm, clear and warm weather in a region well known for hotair ballooning.
“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. There were flames licking up the side of the basket, right up the guyropes,” David Mckinlay, who was walking his dog when he saw the balloon catch fire, told state-run Television New Zealand.
When the flames reached the canopy, the balloon plunged to the ground, he said.
“There was a big, long pencil-like flame maybe 20 metres long, heading toward the ground at a terrible speed,” Mckinlay said.
Mckinlay, who alerted the emergency services, said the balloon was about 150 metres in the air when it plummeted to the ground.
“It was like a rocket coming down; it was just unbelievable,” he said.
Another witness said he was
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. There were flames licking up the side of the basket, right up the guy-ropes
WITNESS DAVID MCKINLAY
looking out his window when he saw the balloon appear to hit a power cable.
“The people were enjoying a nice ride and, by the looks of it, they clipped a power wire,” he said.
“Then I heard the screams and looked out the window and heard it coming down. I was having my breakfast and I heard them. They sounded like screams of joy but they weren’t.
“It wasn’t coming from a great deal of height.
“I ran down the road to see if I could help, but by that stage it was too late. it was just burned out. By the time the emergency services got there, there wasn’t much of a chance.”
Two of the passengers are believed to have leaped from the burning basket and were found in a nearby paddock.
Reporters at the scene said the crash site has been cordoned off and only emergency workers and the families of those on board the balloon are being allowed through.
The names and nationali- ties of those on board have not been released, but Carterton Mayor Ron Mark said he believed they were a mix of locals and tourists.
Transport Accident Investigation Commission spokesman Peter Northcote said an investigation is already underway to determine the cause of the disaster and draw up recommendations to prevent future accidents.
Hot-air ballooning is tightly governed in New Zealand with operators requiring special certification.
Two years ago, the civil aviation authority banned one company after “serious safety concerns” were uncovered in safety audits and spot checks.