Report finds fuel leak behind fire that sparked emergency landing of hot air balloon in Victoria

Terrifying new photos capture a blaze as it ripped through a hot-air balloon carrying 16 people over the Yarra Range. Now a report has found the cause of the mid-air emergency.

Dramatic new photos have shown the terrifying moment a hot-air balloon carrying more than a dozen people caught fire while soaring hundreds of metres above the ground.

It comes as an independent investigation today found a fuel leak sparked the blaze that forced a quick-thinking pilot to make an emergency landing at Gruyere.

The Go Wild Ballooning flight was about 20 minutes into its journey on Boxing Day when the pilot heard the sound of a small explosion from one of the aircraft’s burners.

When the fire broke out there were 16 people on board and the balloon was about 240m in the air over the Yarra Range.

The fire inside the balloon. Picture: Supplied

Photos taken from inside the basket show the blaze climbing up the side of the basket and burning dangerously close to the balloon as other passengers look towards the ground.

The pilot made multiple attempts to extinguish the blaze but it reignited twice before spreading to other parts of the aircraft.

About eight minutes after the initial explosion, the fire continued to spread and the basket became briefly tangled in the branches of a tree as it descended and hit the ground.

The basket was completely engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrive at the scene.

A 27-year old woman was taken to hospital but there were no serious injuries.

A full investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau found the fire was caused by a fuel leak at the front left burner and found the pilot’s clothing at the time had not met industry safety standards.

The hot-air balloon that caught fire before landing in Cahillton Road, Gruyere outside Melbourne. Source: Channel 9

Aerial photos shows the basket was completely burnt out. Source: Channel 9

Go Wild Ballooning has replaced parts on all similar fuel tanks and reviewed its policy on protective clothes.

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“Pilots experience a high workload during in-flight emergencies,” ATSB executive director of transport safety Nat Nagy said

“However, in the event of an in‑flight balloon fire, the first priority must be isolation of the fuel supply at the fuel tank.

“In addition, it is good practice to rehearse emergency procedures by standing in the basket to run through the checklist steps.”