Record-breaking British balloonist Julian Nott dies after accident in California
- Nott’s achievements included feats of altitude, distance and time aloft in a hot air balloon
A renowned British balloonist and scientist who set 79 world ballooning records died after an accident in Southern California, authorities and family members said.
Julian Richard Nott, 74, was injured over the weekend after his balloon with a pressurised cabin landed in the northern San Diego countryside, the Union-Tribune reported on Thursday.
About three hours after the landing on Sunday, “as he was packing up the cabin, it tumbled down the mountain with him inside”, Roberta Greene, a spokeswoman for Nott’s family, wrote in an email. “He sustained multiple head (and other) injuries.”
Nott died on Tuesday at a hospital, the newspaper said.
“Julian was flying an experimental balloon that he invented, designed to test high-altitude technology,” according to an obituary on his official website.
San Diego County sheriff’s officials said deputies responded on Sunday following reports that two people were injured after the aircraft landed near Palomar Mountain.