Safety Investigation Report of the accident to the hot air balloon Schroeder G36/24, LY-BDR, that occurred on 5 May 2024 in Vilkų kampas village, Šilutė district, the Republic of Lithuania, has been published
On 5 May 2024, at 20.30 hrs a hot-air balloon Schroeder G36/24, registration LY-BDR, piloted by a citizen of the Republic of Lithuania and performing a commercial passenger flight, after a change in weather conditions, during landing, collided with roofs of houses and power lines, then was dragged along the ground, until was caught in a tree and stopped. The pilot and 6 passengers were injured, with the pilot and 3 passengers being seriously injured. The hot-air balloon was damaged beyond economical repair.
The accident was caused by a loss of control of the hot-air balloon, due to the change in wind direction as well as wind speed and gusts, exceeding the hot-air balloon limitations. Although the pilot took action by using two burners to increase altitude and avoid collision obstacles, it was no longer possible to prevent the accident.
The Safety investigation report can be found here.