Serious incident to the Cameron Z105 registered F-HOFA operated by O'fil de l'air on 25/06/2023 at Saint Christoly-Médoc

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At the end of the flight, the pilot was confronted with an increase in wind strength and a change in wind direction during the descent. On approaching the Gironde estuary, over which he did not want to fly, the pilot decided to land quickly in a tall grass area bordering the estuary. A few metres from the ground, he pulled hard on the rapid deflation line to bring the balloon to a stop quickly. This action probably increased the descent rate, causing the basket to bounce on contact with the ground, while the envelope continued to descend and collapsed onto the load frame. As a result, the cables securing the envelope slackened and one of them wrapped around the pilot's neck. When the basket tipped over, the cables became taut, strangling the pilot. The latter, who had managed to insert a hand between the cable and his neck, successfully freed himself. The hot air balloon then came to a stop a few metres from the initial point of contact with the ground.

General information

Local date	25/06/2023
Responsible entity	France - BEA
State or area of occurrence	France - 33 Gironde
Location	Saint-Christoly-Médoc
Human consequences	Minor
Number of minor injuries	1
Aircraft consequences	None
Occurrence class	Serious incident
Occurence category	ARC: Abnormal runway contact, OTHR: Other
File number	BEA2023-0260

Flight Information

Aircraft category	Balloon
Operator	France (O'fil de l'air)
Manufacturer / Model	CAMERON - Z105
Aircraft Registration	F-HOFA
State of registry	France
Last departure point	France - Other (Château Pierre de Montignac (33))
Planned destination	France - Other
Flight phase	Landing
Serial number	11964
Operator Type AG	Not applicable
Operation Type	Commercial Air Transport - Passenger - Sightseeing

BEA is the French air safety investigation authority for civil aviation. The sole objective of the investigation is to improve air safety. It is intended neither to apportion blame nor to assess responsiblity.

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