Two hot air balloons collide mid-air in Alice Springs

Two hot air balloons have collided in mid-air over Central Australia, evoking painful memories of the devastating balloon crash that claimed 13 lives near Alice Springs in 1989. A safety investigation has been launched.

AN investigation has been launched into a mid-air collision between two hot air balloons in Central Australia.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating the collision between two hot air balloons, which the pilot of one aircraft descended to a lower altitude where the other was flying on Monday July 18.

The ATSB safety report said the pilot of the lower altitude balloon saw the other descending from above and attempted to radio the pilot but was unsuccessful.

As a result, the balloon envelopes, commonly referred to as ‘the bag’ of air above the basket, came into contact with each other before the pilot of the descending balloon “operated its burners and climbed clear”.

The incident is not the first time two hot air balloons have collided in Alice Springs. Picture: Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images.

There were no reported injuries or damage to the balloons.

The two hot air balloons were both made by an Australian hot air balloon manufacturer.

The ATSB launched a safety investigation into the July 2022 mid-air collision, which occurred 6km southeast of the Alice Springs Airport.

The ATSB’s safety investigators will examine weather data, operator procedures and interview the pilots and relevant witnesses with a final report anticipated to be released early 2023.

The businesses involved have been contacted for comment.

A final report will be released at the conclusion of the investigation early 2023. Picture: Yohan Bonnet/AFP.

The incident is not the first time hot air balloons have collided in Central Australia.

In August 1989, two hot air balloons collided near Alice Springs causing one to crash to the ground, killing 13 people.

The historic incident remains Australia’s most deadly hot air ballooning accident.

Five hot air balloons, including the two involved in the collision, were operating tourist charter flights from the same launch area.

In total, 12 passengers and the pilot were killed, landing 14km southeast of the Alice Springs Airport.

It was when the two balloons collided and made contact that a section of the envelope panel ripped and hot air was able to escape, causing the basket with the deflated envelope trailing above it, to plummet to the ground.

More recently, two passengers were seriously injured during a “hard landing” on a commercial hot air balloon flight in the Yarra Valley on New Year’s Eve last year when wind conditions “deteriorated”.

ATSB transport safety director Stuart Macleod said the incident was a clear reminder for balloon pilots and operators of how important it was to deliver a thorough pre-flight briefing to passengers and that it was understood.

“The pre-flight briefing is critical in ensuring passenger preparation, particularly as opportunities to reinforce that information during the flight may be limited.”