A hot air balloon was operated on a passenger flight after its pilot conducted a field repair without fully understanding the manufacturer’s limits or requirements, an ATSB final report explains.
On 18 October 2025, a Kubíček BB142P hot air balloon was being cold inflated before an early morning sightseeing flight near Beaudesert, Queensland, when a change in wind direction pushed its partially inflated envelope across a field, striking two light posts.
After the crew recovered the balloon, the pilot identified a tear in one of the upper envelope panels above the balloon equator.
The pilot, who was also the maintainer of the aircraft, estimated the tear to be about 45 cm, and conducted a field repair using specialised adhesive tape.
During the subsequent flight with the pilot and 24 passengers on board, the repair degraded and a hole opened in the envelope, allowing air to escape from the balloon. The pilot was able to continue the flight and land at the planned destination without further incident.
“The initial damage occurred after an inflation and launch position was selected which did not provide sufficient clearance from nearby obstacles,” ATSB Director of Transport Safety Dr Stuart Godley explained.
“The resulting tear, which the pilot estimated as 45 cm, was far in exceedance of the 2.5 cm limit without overstitching defined by the manufacturer for this type of field repair. However the pilot did not fully understand the manufacturer’s guidance.”
Dr Godley said the pilot was likely also influenced by their perception of passengers’ expectations.
“After hot inflating the balloon and observing no immediate degradation of the repair, the pilot likely perceived the expectations of the 24 passengers, who had already arrived for the flight, as a strong motivator to continue,” he said.
“The weight of the perceived passenger expectation would likely have the pilot searching for solutions to allow the flight to proceed, rather than cancelling and rescheduling the flight to conduct required repairs.”
The pilot reported seeing the tape repair degrading during the flight, but assessed they did not need to land earlier than planned.
“When the repair degraded in flight, the pilot continued for the remaining 5-10 minutes of the planned flight, rather than landing immediately, despite the manufacturer’s flight manual instructions to land as soon as possible following in-flight envelope damage,” Dr Godley said.
A recent ATSB safety study provided balloon operators with guidance to reduce the risk of passenger injuries in commercial operations, with recommended risk controls including thorough passenger safety briefings, clear go/no-go decision criteria, and implementing a Safety Management System.
“This incident demonstrates how pilots and maintainers should be aware of external and internal commercial pressures to continue a flight without fully researching and conducting an appropriate repair, in the event of a damaged envelope,” Dr Godley added.
“These repairs must be conducted in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, as non-approved repairs can normalise unsafe practices over time, and represent a significant risk to those on board.”
Read the final report: Flight with damaged envelope involving Kubicek BB142P, VH RRP, near Beaudesert, Queensland, on 18 October 2025