Fuel hose leak hasn’t happened before or since Egypt balloon disaster, expert tells inquest
Witness from British Civil Aviation Authority says ‘hot air ballooning is a safe activity’
A tear in the fuel hose blamed for the hot air balloon tragedy that killed nine Hongkongers in Egypt in 2013 has never happened before or since, according to a British expert.
Ian Chadwick, from the British Civil Aviation Authority, also told an inquest that it was not technically possible to introduce “a dead man’s handle” to hot air balloons.
But he stressed that aviators around the world are working to ensure the activity’s safety, with talks up in the air to set a European standard that will unify rules across countries.
“We believe hot air ballooning is a safe activity,” said Chadwick. “We believe hot air ballooning should be promoted around the world.”
The inquest, before coroner June Cheung Tin-ngan, followed the death of nine Hongkongers on February 26, 2013 when a hot air balloon carrying 20 passengers from around the world caught fire and plunged into sugar cane fields. In total, 19 people died.
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Investigators from the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority concluded the probable cause was a fuel hose leak, spurting the flammable liquid onto the balloon’s burner.