Accident Kubicek BB30Z , Sunday 8 September 2019

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Date:	Sunday 8 September 2019
Time:
Type:	Kubicek BB30Z
Owner/operator:	Private
Registration:
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Minor
Category:	Accident
Location:	Tielrode - Belgium
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Sint-Niklaas
Destination airport:
Investigating agency:	AAIU Belgium
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
During a hard landing with a hot air balloon, the pilot got seriously injured in the face.

Findings as to causes and contributing factors
• The meteorological forecasts identified the probability of surface winds of the intensity encountered during the landing of the balloon but it was decided to continue the flight.
• The nature and circumstances of the mission, as part of a public ballooning event, may have created social pressure that influenced the decision to proceed with the flight instead of cancelling it.
• The surface wind speed during landing (13 kt) was slightly under the limit for a fast landing, as determined in the Flight Manual “Emergency conditions”.
• During landing, the basket hit the banks of a ditch and tipped over causing the pilot to lose balance and hit is face.
• Due to the lack of irrefutable evidence, the investigation could not definitively determine the cause of the facial injuries.

Accident investigation: