The balloon he flew in was undocumented
A friendly hot air balloon skydiving service has ended with one dead and one seriously injured between life and death. The tragedy took place on Wednesday morning near the Sofia village of Litakovo.
Three men boarded the balloon to jump. A fourth piloted the air vehicle. It was early, there was still fog. However, the men did not give up. Two jumped with parachutes, and one – with a paraglider. Because of the fog, however, the men had no idea how far they were from the ground.
At the last moment, the two saw the ground and pulled the handle to open it on the parachutes. One died on the spot and the other is in hospital with serious injuries. The paraglider escaped uninjured.
He called the emergency number 112 and explained about the fog. Police, firefighters and an emergency team arrived at the scene. However, one man, aged 28, was already dead. The other, 37 years old, was taken by the medics to the hospital “St. Anna” in Sofia. His condition required rapid action and is extremely risky, the health institution commented to “24 Hours”. The man had injuries to his lumbar vertebrae and was transferred to the intensive care unit of the hospital.
“There were no problems with the balloon. They are crazy heads, they open their parachutes very low”, Veselin Todorov, who owns the balloon, told BBC. He was arrested late in the afternoon. The man is from the nearby village of Trudovets. His father was a municipal councilor, and the balloon even took part in Christmas celebrations in Botevgrad.
“This is not a hopping service. It’s a friendly service. The boy who jumped has 600 jumps, it’s not like you come and pay and jump”, the man added.
The balloon has no documents, registration and airworthiness, a the pilot who flew it was unlicensedexplained the head of the Civil Aviation Administration, Anelia Marinova. She pointed out that there were several reports against the pilot, and the last check was on October 13, and he was to be fined between BGN 3,000 and BGN 10,000.
Out of a total of 11 balloons in the country, 4 are fit for flying. According to Marinova, although parachute jumps from such aircraft are allowed, legislative changes will be sought. Confiscation of the aircraft used for flights that are in violation of the regulations could also be requested.
The investigation is conducted for causing death due to ignorance or negligent performance of an occupation or other legally regulated activity. The prescribed punishment is from 1 to 6 years in prison.
This is the fourth accident involving parachutes in the Sofia region this year. On June 5, a man landed badly after a jump and was taken to hospital with leg injuries. On July 11, a woman was also admitted for treatment. And on August 25, two friends landed on a car parked in the village of Chernevo. However, the incidents so far have resulted in no serious injuries, only fractures.