The most common level 2 occurrence type for accidents were:
The most common level 3 occurrence type for those accidents were:
Occurrence Level 2 | Occurrence Level 3 |
---|---|
Aircraft Control | 90% (9) - hard landings |
Crew and Cabin Safety | 86% (6) - cabin injuries |
Terrain Collisions | 83% (5) – collision with terrain |
In 2023, the ATSB commenced a safety study into commercial ballooning operations after identifying a trend toward a heightened exposure to risk in the sector. The factors that led to this being one of the ATSB Safety Watch concerns include:
- an increased rate of accident and serious incidents compared to other sectors
- the high number of passengers that a commercial ballooning flight may carry compared to other non-scheduled joy flight/sightseeing operations.
The ATSB is due to finish the study in mid 2025 - Reducing passenger injuries in commercial ballooning operations.
The number of cabin injuries classified in the ATSB occurrence database from 2013 to 2024 are in Figure 7.
The most common level 2 occurrence type for serious incidents were:
Breaking down these serious incidents to the level 3 occurrence type:
Occurrence Type - Level 2 | Occurrence Type - Level 3 |
---|---|
Terrain Collisions | 50% (10) Collision with terrain, 50% (10) wirestrikes |
Aircraft separation | 75% (3) Collision |
Weather | 66% (4) Turbulence/windshear/microburst, 33% (2) unforecast weather |
Aircraft control | (2) Control issues, (2) Hard landing, (2) Loss of control |