This is a list of ballooning accidents by date. It shows the number of fatalities associated with various accidents that involved manned balloons, such as Montgolfiere hot-air balloons, Charlière gas balloons, or Rozière gas and hot-air hybrid balloons. This list does not include accidents involving other types of aerostat/lighter-than-air aircraft (i.e. dirigibles, blimps, zeppelins, airships, etc.).
| Date | Incident | Location | Notes | Deaths | Injured | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Death of Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier | Wimereux, France | Crashed during attempt to cross the English Channel. Balloon involved was a Rozière hybrid hydrogen-hot-air balloon and not a Montgolfiere hot-air balloon.[1] No survivors. Considered one of the first fatal aviation accidents, possibly the first in recorded history.[2] | 2 | 0 | ||
| Sophie Blanchard | Paris | Sophie Blanchard tried to start a firework in 300 m height above Paris. The balloon started burning and crashed down. | 1 | 0 | ||
| Death of Joseph Tardini | Copenhagen, Denmark | After taking off from Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, the balloon went down in the water near Kalvebod Brygge, killing Italian balloonist Joseph Tardini who had performed dozens of flights in the past. His 11-year-old son and a woman survived.[3] Believed to be the first ballooning death in Scandinavia. The same balloon was again used in July 1852 when Swedish balloonist M. Sivertsen made a successful flight from the town of Christiana in Norway in front of an audience of 40,000 people.[4] | 1 | 0 | ||
| Nimes balloon crash | Nimes, France | Balloonist M. Louis Deschamps was killed during his 120th flight from the Arena of Nîmes. Bad weather had already forced the mayor to call off a parachute performance. Deschamps was thrown from the basket and the balloon went down about half a mile further.[5] | 1 | 0 | ||
| S. A. Andrée's Arctic Balloon Expedition of 1897 | Kvitøya, Norway | Indirect deaths: All three balloon expedition members died of exposure months after their Charliere hydrogen balloon crashed. | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2 November 1899 | Captain Charles Lorraine | Christchurch, New Zealand | An aerial performer, he intended to make a balloon flight and then descend by parachute, but he had to let go of his parachute at the launch. Balloon drifted over the Port Hills and came down in Lyttelton Harbour. Lorraine reportedly attempted to swim to shore, but failed to make it.[6] [7] | 1 | 0 | |
| Death of John Baldwin | Greenville, Ohio | Accidentally killed in a premature dynamite/balloon stunt explosion at County Fair.[8] | 1 | 0 | ||
| Franco-British Exhibition balloon crash | London, England | A balloon owned by American balloonist Capt. Lovelace exploded at the Franco-British Exhibition in London, killing his 18-year-old secretary and a male employee.[9] Six others were injured, including a 47-year-old employee who died days later.[10] | 3 | 5 | ||
| 4 December 1910 | Orkney Balloon Crash | Kirkwall, Orkney,Scotland | Three Germans set off on a for a day of ballooning from Munich. They were caught by the wind and blown Northwest across the North Sea. The balloon briefly landed in the water where one of the passengers fell out. As a result the balloon became lighter and took off again, drifting overnight. Their first sight of land was the next day when they crash landed next to Park Cottage, Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland. The balloon demolished a stone wall but the occupants, Distler & Joerdens, were uninjured. They were looked after and stayed in Orkney for several days before catching the passenger ferry to Aberdeen, eventually making it back to Munich. Although not acknowledged, this is the first crossing of the North Sea by air. | 1 | 0 | |
| 30 January 1934 | Potisky Ostrog, Russia | Three Soviet airmen were killed after their balloon, the Osoaviakhim 1 crashed after setting a record for altitude at 67,585 feet.[11] | 3 | 0 | ||
| 3 November 1944 | Fu-Go balloon bombs. | North America | Japan released 9,000 fire balloons towards North America. Only 10% of the balloons reached America killing 6 people. | 6 | 0 | |
| 13 April 1963 | Herbede, Germany | Upon landing safely in a field, a gas balloon exploded while being deflated, killing three and injuring 8 passengers.[12] | 3 | 8 | ||
| 12 September 1964 | Death of Barbara Keith | Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Dana Point, California, United States | Balloon and pilot disappeared in heavy clouds while participating in the Catalina Channel Balloon Race. The gondola was found two days later submerged in the water.[13] | 1 | 0 | |
| Danube Tower balloon crash | Danube Tower, Vienna, Austria | A gas balloon struck the Danube Tower, causing the basket to plummet to the ground, killing American balloonist Francis Shields, Austrian Post and Telegraph Management official Guntram Pammer, and Austria Press Agency journalist Dieter Kasper.[14] Footage of the incident and its aftermath appears in the disaster documentary Days of Fury (1979),[15] directed by Fred Warshofsky. | 3 | 0 | ||
| Free Life balloon crash | North Atlantic Ocean | The Free Life balloon was attempting to cross the Atlantic Ocean when it was forced to ditch into the north Atlantic, about 600miles southeast of Newfoundland. | 3 | 0 | ||
| 21 February 1974 | Disappearance of the Light Heart | Atlantic Ocean, near west Africa | The Light Heart was a balloon attempting to cross the Atlantic Ocean when it lost radio contact and was lost. The balloon was last sighted near the Canary Islands and heading towards Africa. Despite many search operations, the balloon was never found. | 1 | 0 | |
| 7 August 1974 | Death of Robert C. Berger | Barnegat Bay, Ocean County, New Jersey, United States | The "Spirit of Man" balloon exploded about an hour after takeoff in its attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean, killing the pilot Robert C. Berger.[16] | 1 | 0 | |
| Charlotte balloon crash | Charlotte, North Carolina, United States | [17] | 3 | 0 | ||
| Fishers balloon crash | Fishers, Indiana, United States | [18] | 3 | 0 | ||
| Albuquerque balloon crash | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Kathy Wiley and pilot Richard Temple were killed when their balloon collapsed in a wind shear and caught fire as they attempted to fly over Sandia Crest. | 2 | 0 | ||
| Davie balloon crash | Davie, Florida, United States | Balloon collided with power lines, causing propane tanks to explode.[19] | 4 | 0 | ||
| Hurricane balloon crash | Hurricane, West Virginia, United States | [20] | 3 | 0 | ||
| Flims hot-air balloon crash | Near Flims, Switzerland | [21] | 3 | 0 | ||
| Barrington Hills hot-air balloon crash | Barrington Hills, Illinois, United States | Balloon hit high-voltage lines and burst into flames after which five people jumped and died; sole survivor suffered serious burns.[22] | 5 | 1 | ||
| Valais hot-air balloon crash | Kranzberg mountain, Valais, Switzerland | [23] | 4 | 0 | ||
| Piedmont balloon crash | Piedmont, South Carolina, United States | [24] | 3 | 0 | ||
| Albuquerque balloon crash | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | After a normal landing, liquid propane escaped, vaporized and ignited the gondola. The balloon began to rise and four remaining passengers fell or jumped, killing three of them.[25] | 4 | 4 | ||
| 27 June 1983 | Bad Bruckenau, Germany | While participating in the Gordon Bennet Cup balloon race, champion balloon pilot Maxie Anderson and his co-pilot Don Ida were killed after their gondola detached from their balloon and crashed to the ground.[26] The balloonists were attempting to land to avoid drifting into East German airspace, which had denied entry.[27] | 2 | 0 | ||
| 21 March 1987 | Summit Park, Utah, United States | A hot air balloon collided with power lines, severing the basket. One man was killed and 8 injured when they crashed 50 feet to the ground.[28] | 1 | 8 | ||
| Sussex balloon crash | Sussex, New Brunswick, Canada | Strong gust of wind caused a balloon to lose altitude and explode into flames after hitting a power line, forcing the three occupants to jump 14m (46feet) to the ground. One passenger was killed, while the balloon pilot and another passenger were seriously injured.[29] [30] | 1 | 2 | ||
| Garner balloon crash | Garner, North Carolina, United States | Balloon struck cables of a TV tower, causing it to plummet to the ground.[31] | 3 | 0 | ||
| Dairy Queen balloon crash | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | Balloon struck power line and caught fire. Pilot jumped from balloon and died on the ground. [32] | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1989 Alice Springs hot air balloon crash | Near Alice Springs, Australia | Mid-air collision with another balloon.[33] | 13 | 0 | ||
| Groß-Schweinbarth balloon crash | Groß-Schweinbarth, Austria | Balloon struck trees while attempting to land, destroying the basket and causing those inside to fall to the ground. The balloonist and three passengers were killed. Three other passengers were seriously injured.[34] | 4 | 3 | ||
| Albuquerque balloon crash | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Balloon pilot Stephen Falacy and passenger William Schobel jumped to their deaths from a burning gondola after Sunrise Special collided with a power line south of Bernalillo.[35] Footage of the incident was featured in the second installment of Joe Francis' shockumentary series, Banned from Television. | 2 | 0 | ||
| Columbus balloon crash | Columbus, Ohio, United States | Balloon struck TV antenna after departing from a field.[36] | 4 | 0 | ||
| 10 June 1991 | Death of Michael McGrath | Greenwood, Missouri, United States | While attempting to tie down a balloon, a man was carried aloft as the balloon unexpectedly took flight. He was carried about 100 feet before falling to his death.[37] | 1 | 0 | |
| Mesquite balloon crash | Mesquite, Texas, United States | A hot-air balloon struck high-voltage power lines, caught fire and plummeted onto a freeway access road, killing its two occupants during the seventh annual Mesquite Balloon Festival.[38] | 2 | 0 | ||
| Gnadendorf balloon crash | Gnadendorf, Austria | A fire broke out during a landing attempt, killing five passengers, including two children. The pilot and two other passengers were both seriously injured.[39] | 5 | 3 | ||
| Woody Creek balloon crash | Woody Creek, Colorado, United States | Balloon struck power transmission line, causing basket to fall more than 100feet.[40] [41] | 6 | 11 | ||
| Albuquerque balloon crash | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Sunrunner pilot Allan Jones and passenger Karl Gordon died when a balloon hit power lines north of Alameda, severing the gondola from its envelope. | 2 | 0 | ||
| Osterburken balloon crash | Osterburken, Germany | Balloon caught fire while attempting to land; a 45-year-old man jumped from a height of 8m (26feet) and was injured, a 27-year-old woman jumped from a height of 25m (82feet) and was killed, the 50-year-old balloonist was on fire and fell to his death from a height of 80m (260feet), and the woman's partner, a 29-year-old man, remained in the basket and died in the fire.[42] | 3 | 1 | ||
| Christchurch balloon crash | Off the coast of Christchurch, New Zealand | Strong winds forced the balloon to ditch into the sea, killing three people. Others survived.[43] | 3 | 0 | ||
| 21 July 1997 | Death of Audrey Jones | North Ferriby, England | A woman celebrating her 75th birthday was killed and 11 other passengers were injured when their balloon hit powerlines and crashed to the ground.[44] | 1 | 11 | |
| Kienberg hot-air balloon crash | Kienberg, Germany | Gas balloon burst into flames and separated from the basket due to coming too close to the antennae of Nauen Transmitter Station, which caused electrostatic reactions.[45] | 4 | 0 | ||
| Death of Odella Marie Deutschman | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Odella Marie Deutschman died and 12 others were injured as Wayfinder plowed in to two sets of power lines near the Sunport before crashing at Kirtland Air Force Base. | 1 | 12 | ||
| Ibbenbüren hot-air balloon crash | Ibbenbüren, Germany | Crashed after hitting a power line.[46] | 4 | 0 | ||
| Verrens-Arvey hot-air balloon crash | Verrens-Arvey, France | Exploded after hitting a power line.[47] | 6 | 0 | ||
| Lucerne hot-air balloon accident | Lucerne, Switzerland | Balloon struck buildings and a tree due to strong winds, injuring passengers and causing a woman to fall through an opening in the floor of the gondola. The balloon landed about 20 minutes later.[48] | 1 | 10 | ||
| 25 September 2004 | Death of Matthew Jacobson | Lewisburg, West Virigina | After landing the balloon, the balloon began to ascend after an airplane flyby created lift. The balloon's pilot wrapped a rope from the basket around his leg and was pulled into the air. Once the balloon rose between 100-120 feet in the air, the pilot fell and was fatally injured.[49] | 1 | 0 | |
| 13 April 2005 | Death of Thomas Gregorio | Marana, Arizona | A hot air balloon clipped a mountain, smashing supports of the wicker gondola and catching fire. The accident caused the death of one passenger and injuries to 10 others.[50] [51] | 1 | 10 | |
| 18 May 2005 | Shreveport, Louisiana | Two people were killed when their hot air balloon crashed after hitting power lines.[52] [53] | 2 | 0 | ||
| 13 April 2007 | Death of Linda Dickson | Mecca, California | A Canadian woman was killed when she was thrown from the basket after the balloon she was riding in struck power lines in high winds. Two others were injured.[54] | 1 | 2 | |
| Surrey, B.C. balloon crash | Surrey, B.C., Canada | Two people died and eleven were injured when their hot-air balloon caught fire and crashed near Surrey, British Columbia.[55] | 2 | 11 | ||
| Death of Rosemary Phillips | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Rosemary Wooley Phillips was thrown from a gondola and fell more than 60 feet to her death after a balloon got caught on a utility line.[56] | 1 | 0 | ||
| 16 November 2007 | Hampton, Iowa | Two Colorado men were killed and a third man from New Mexico was injured when a powerline severed the wicker basket from their balloon, causing them to crash 60 feet to the ground.[57] An investigation cited pilot error for the crash.[58] | 2 | 1 | ||
| Death of Adelir Antônio de Carli | Off Brazil's Atlantic coast | Cluster ballooning attempt. | 1 | 0 | ||
| 17 August 2008 | Death of Elmer “Bill” Blair | Mountain Grove, Missouri | A hot air balloon exploded after propane began to leak, causing the balloon to catch fire. The balloon's pilot jumped from the balloon to safety, but was killed when he hit the ground. A person aiding the pilot was injured when trying to rescue the pilot from the burning wreckage.[59] [60] [61] | 1 | 1 | |
| Death of Stephen Lachendro | Bernalillo, New Mexico, United States | Balloon crashed into power lines setting it on fire during Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.[62] [63] | 1 | 1 | ||
| 9 July 2008 | Death of Earl MacPhearson | Phoenixville, Pennsylvania | A pilot was landing a balloon with 10 passengers when he leaned out to reach a rope and fell. He was fatally injured when he became trapped between the basket and the ground.[64] [65] Seven passengers were taken to hospitals and the balloon's pilot was killed in the accident.[66] | 1 | 0 | |
| 29 May 2009 | Death of Kevin Beurle | Cappadocia, Turkey | A British man was fatally injured and nine other passengers injured, one critically, after two hot-air balloons collided midair.[67] [68] [69] | 1 | 9 | |
| Yangshuo hot-air balloon crash | Near Yangshuo, Guangxi, China | Four Dutch tourists died early when their hot-air balloon caught fire and crashed.[70] [71] | 4 | 3 | ||
| 29 September 2010 | 54th Gordon Bennett Gas Balloon Race Accident | Adriatic Sea, 11 miles north of Vieste, Italy. | World champion balloonists Richard Abruzzo, 47, of Albuquerque, and Carol Rymer Davis, 65, of Denver were caught in a storm while participating in the Gordon Bennett Gas Balloon race. Their bodies were found by a fisherman, still inside their balloon's gondola.[72] | 2 | 0 | |
| 2012 Carterton hot air balloon crash | Near Carterton, New Zealand | Entangled in power lines, resulting in fire.[73] | 11 | 0 | ||
| 16 March 2012 | Death of Edward Ristaino | Fitzgerald, Georgia | Balloon pilot fell to his death after his balloon became sucked up in a fast moving thunderstorm.[74] | 1 | 0 | |
| 2012 Ljubljana Marshes hot air balloon crash | Municipality of Ig, Slovenia | Balloon caught in wind shear, crashed into trees, and caught fire[75] | 6 | 26 | ||
| 2013 Luxor hot air balloon crash | Luxor, Egypt | Fire in the basket caused by a leaking fuel line.[76] Deadliest ballooning accident in aviation history. | 19 | 2 | ||
| 20 May 2013 | Cappadocia, Turkey | Two sightseeing balloons collided mid-air during a sightseeing tour, causing one balloon to crash.[77] | 3 | 23 | ||
| Death of Grant Adamson | Montbovon, Fribourg, Switzerland | Balloon crashed down after contact with power lines.[78] [79] | 1 | 4 | ||
| 11 August 2013 | Death of Maxime Trépanier | Mont-Saint-Gregoire, Canada | Balloon pilot lost his balance and fell to his death after basket bounced upon landing and the balloon ascended unexpectedly during the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu International Balloon Festival.[80] | 1 | 0 | |
| Ruther Glen balloon crash | Ruther Glen, Virginia, United States | Balloon struck power lines during landing, causing a fire.[81] | 3 | 0 | ||
| 15 June 2014 | Death of Jeff Hooten | Spring City, Pennsylvania | At the end of a commercial balloon flight, upon landing, the balloon's pilot lost his balance and fell out of the basket, sustaining fatal injuries.[82] [83] | 1 | 0 | |
| 17 December 2014 | Death of Tang Yi | A balloon carrying Chinese and Malaysian tourists crash-landed in the Guvercinlik Valley, killing one and seriously injuring others.[84] [85] | 1 | 15 | ||
| 26 June 2015 | Cappadocia, Turkey | 18 tourists were seriously injured when their balloon made a hard landing and caught fire.[86] | 0 | 18 | ||
| 10 June 2016 | Death of Ryan Almeter | Nunda, New York | A ground crewmember remained holding on to the balloon after it began to ascend unexpectedly. The crewmember lost his grip on the basket and fell 100 feet to his death.[87] [88] | 1 | 0 | |
| 2016 Lockhart hot air balloon crash | Maxwell, Texas, United States | Contact with power lines before crashing, killing all 16 people on board.[89] | 16 | 0 | ||
| 25 October 2016 | Death of Suzanne Astle | Mooinooi, South Africa | Strong winds caused the balloon to drift and the pilot to attempt an emergency landing. In the crash, a woman was thrown from the basket where she suffered fatal injuries.[90] [91] | 1 | 3 | |
| 18 February 2017 | Death of Benny Karl Jensen | Cappadocia, Turkey | A Danish tourist was killed when he fell from the basket of a hot air balloon during a hard landing.[92] [93] | 1 | ||
| 14 March 2017 | 49 tourists were wounded when three sightseeing balloons collided and crash landed in high winds.[94] [95] | 0 | 49 | |||
| 9 April 2017 | Death of Vince Caumontat | Cappadocia, Turkey | The French deputy consul to Istanbul was killed when the balloon he was riding in hit powerlines and crash landed.[96] [97] | 1 | 7 | |
| 2018 Luxor hot-air balloon crash | Luxor, Egypt | A tourist was killed and twelve were injured when their hot-air balloon crashed due to inclement weather.[98] [99] | 1 | 12 | ||
| 3 August 2018 | Death of Dana Joyce Haskell | Hartsel, Colorado | A sightseeing flight carrying two commercial pilots and nine passengers experienced a difficult landing due to windy conditions, where the basket bounced several times and dragged 40-50 feet. During deflation, two passengers fell out of the basket, 65-year-old passenger was seriously injured, and a 73- year-old passenger was killed.[100] | 1 | 1 | |
| 29 June 2018 | Death of John Moran | Ashland, Ohio | After landing, wind pulled the balloon forward and tipped the basket over. The pilot fell forward and hit his head on the dual burner assembly, knocking him unconscious. He later was pronounced dead at the hospital.[101] [102] | 1 | 3 | |
| 10 April 2019 | Shandong, China | A mother and son fell to their deaths after the tethered balloon they were riding burst possibly due to unusually high altitude.[103] | 2 | 0 | ||
| 23 January 2021 | Death of Wade Lee | Rio Rancho, New Mexico | A Lindstrand LBL-77A Balloon experienced a hard landing in a remote desert area. The balloon's passenger was transported to the hospital where he succumbed of his injuries, caused by blunt pelvic trauma from the impact.[104] | 1 | 0 | |
| 2021 Albuquerque hot-air balloon crash | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Contact with a power line causing the balloon to catch on fire and causing a power outage in the area.[105] The pilot was later found to have had cocaine in his system at the time of the crash.[106] | 5 | 0 | ||
| 15 July 2021 | 2021 Vermont hot-air pilot entanglement accident | Bradford, Vermont | The pilot of a hot air balloon died after becoming entangled under its basket and falling to the ground.[107] | 1 | 0 | |
| 18 October 2022 | Cappadocia, Turkey | Two tourists were killed and three people were injured when a gust of wind forced the balloon they were riding in to make a hard landing.[108] [109] | 2 | 3 | ||
| 2023 Teotihuacan hot-air balloon crash | Teotihuacan, San Juan Teotihuacan de Artisa, Mexico | Two people died and a girl was injured after the hot air balloon they were riding in caught fire near Mexico City.[110] | 2 | 1 | ||
| 25 June 2023 | Death of Peter Gregory | Ombersley, Worcestershire, UK | A man has died after falling from a balloon after it caught on fire.[111] [112] | 1 | 0 | |
| 4 November 2023 | 2023 Page hot-air balloon crash | Page City Park, Arizona, USA | An Aerostar International Inc. X-8 hot air balloon crash-landed and hit a parked car after its burners failed to ignite during landing. A passenger was seriously injured when they fell out of the basket.[113] | 0 | 1 | |
| 2024 Eloy, AZ hot-air balloon crash | Eloy, Arizona, USA | Four people died and one was injured after the hot air balloon they were riding experienced an as-yet-unidentified issue with its envelope. Eight skydivers had previously exited the gondola and were unharmed.[114] Toxicology tests showed the pilot had a high amount of ketamine in his blood, which was found to have been administered by emergency medical personnel as part of treatment after the accident.[115] | 4 | 1 | ||
| 2024 Asureti hot air balloon crash | All three people on board died when a Cameron Balloons Z-315 hot air balloon collided with a high-voltage power line in Georgia.[116] [117] | 3 | 0 | |||
| A man died after falling to the street from hot air balloon flying over urban Melbourne.[118] The fatal fall was not being treated as suspicious and is suspected to be an intentional incident of self harm.[119] [120] | 1 | 0 |