Hot-Air Balloon Tours: Crash Epidemiology in the United States, 2000-2011

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Aviat Space Environ Med
• Personal Author:
  Ballard, Sarah-Blythe ; Beaty, Leland P. ; Baker, Susan P.
• Description:
  Introduction
  
  Hot-air balloon tours are FAR Part 91-governed balloon rides conducted for compensation or hire. Part 91, General Aviation, in general involves the least strict federal regulations and accounts for the majority of aviation crashes and fatalities.
  
  Methods
  
  National Transportation Safety Board reports of hot-air balloon tour crashes in the United States from 2000 through 2011 were read and analyzed.
  
  Results
  
  During the 12-yr period, 78 hot-air balloon tours crashed, involving 518 occupants. There were 91 serious injuries and 5 fatalities; 83% of crashes resulted in one or more serious or fatal outcomes. Of the serious injuries characterized, 56% were lower extremity fractures. Most crashes (81%) occurred during landing; 65% involved hard landings. Fixed object collisions contributed to 50% of serious injuries and all 5 fatalities. During landing sequences, gondola dragging, tipping, bouncing, and occupant ejection were associated with poor outcomes. Of the crashes resulting in serious or fatal outcomes, 20% of balloons were significantly damaged or destroyed.
  
  Discussion
  
  The incidence of morbidity and mortality is high among hot-air balloon tour crashes, and the proportion of balloon crashes attributed to paid rides appears to have increased over time. In addition to examining the role of restraint systems, personal protective equipment, and power line emergency procedures in ballooning, injury prevention efforts should target factors such hard landings, object strikes, gondola instability, and occupant ejections, which are associated with balloon injuries and deaths. Crash outcomes may also improve with vehicle engineering that enables balloons themselves to absorb impact forces.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Aviation Article Commercial Air Tours Head Protective Devices Humans Leisure Activities Lighter-than-air Paid Ride Power Lines Sightseeing United States

  More +
• Source:
  Aviat Space Environ Med. 84(11):1172-1177
• Pubmed ID:
  24279231
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC4888601
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  R25 TW009340/TW/FIC NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R49 CE001507/CE/NCIPC CDC HHSUnited States/ ; 5R49CE001507/CE/NCIPC CDC HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  84
• Issue:
  11
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:01cd3cb2b51f0e74e3700e7c1a1b0bb0c21b04f7fcf0b99587ecccd101a1f72b
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/39784/cdc_39784_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 426.66 KB ]