Man falls to death from hot-air balloon near Melbourne

Balloon eventually lands safely at Yarra Bend Park, located miles from where man’s body is found

A police officer walks past a trailer with a hot-air balloon basket on it after the discovery of a man's body at Yarra Bend Park in Melbourne, Monday, 18 March 2024 (AP)

A man died after falling from a hot air balloon on a suburban Melbourne street.

The hot air balloon took off at around 7am from CT Barling Reserve in city’s northern suburbs and was in the air for about 30 minutes before the man fell from the basket.

Emergency services were called to Albert Street in Preston where the victim’s body was found around 7.30am on Monday. The balloon landed safely at Yarra Bend Park, located miles from where the man’s body was found.

Police said it will prepare a report for the coroner and the death is not being treated as suspicious. Police are also speaking with the balloon’s pilot, other occupants, and witnesses to determine the circumstances of his death.

Authorities closed off the roads between Wood Street and Murray Road, asking motorists to avoid the area.

A resident said that his brother heard a “loud bang” before the street was filled with the sound of sirens.

“I actually only heard the sirens, a lot of them” he told 9 News.

“My brother heard a loud bang, almost like something like a large item falling in your house. And it wasn’t until we heard all the sirens that we came out.”

Power lines were strewn across the road and a white sheet was laid on the footpath, the outlet reported.

The National Commercial Hot-Air Ballooning Industry and the Australian Ballooning Federation expressed condolences for the man’s family and friends.

The authorities are also organising counselling for witnesses. “Passengers and the pilot are understandably traumatised by this tragedy and the operator is arranging psychological support and counselling for all affected,” the statement added

Explaining the safety mechanism of the hot air balloon, an industry spokesperson told ABC News that “balloon baskets are designed with safety in mind, specifically to prevent passengers from falling out accidentally or from any accidental exit”.

The matter is also being investigated by the Air Transport Safety Bureau and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, reported the Guardian.

This is not the first accident involving a hot air balloon. Earlier in April 2022, three people suffered minor injuries after a hot air balloon on a maiden flight with 13 passengers was forced to land among building in Elwood in Melbourne’s south-east.

On New Year’s Eve in 2021, a balloon basket dragged for nearly 30 miles in east Melbourne, injuring two people.