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VANCOUVER — When a dozen passengers climbed into the basket of a hot-air balloon on a clear evening in Surrey in August of 2007, they didn't know the craft would be overloaded by about 1,000 pounds once they were aboard.
Nor did they know the balloon was equipped with a fuel system modified from manufacturer's specifications or that the strap securing the balloon to a trailer was made of synthetic, heat-susceptible material.
Those factors and others – including a lack of oversight by Transport Canada – contributed to a fiery crash that killed two people and injured several others, says a Transportation Safety Board of Canada report released Tuesday.
Killed were Shannon Knackstedt, 49, and her daughter Jemma, 21.
A hot air balloon's basket bursts into flames shortly after takeoff when it was about 25 feet off the ground in Surrey, B.C. on Aug. 24, 2007. (Don Randall/Associated Press)
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“Lack of oversight by the regulator allowed the modifications to the balloon's configuration and variations from the manufacturer's continued airworthiness limitations to go unchallenged,” the report says.
Investigators traced the fire to a disconnected fuel line that released propane, which was then ignited by one of the balloon's burners or a pilot light.
But the report lists eight contributing factors to the incident, including modifications made to the balloon's fuel system to allow it to carry more weight, and an inadequate safety briefing for passengers.
Twelve passengers had just clambered in for a sightseeing tour on Aug. 24, 2007, when a fire began to rage in the balloon's basket. As people scrambled to get out, a strap tethering the balloon to a trailer gave way, releasing the flaming craft into the sky.
Some passengers jumped as the balloon rose, but Shannon and Jemma Knackstedt did not escape. The burning wreckage fell into a nearby trailer park, setting three mobile homes and two cars on fire.
The report highlights the need for tighter regulation of the industry, said Diana Rutledge, who leapt from the burning balloon as it raced higher in the sky. She shattered numerous bones when she hit the ground.
“It was a brutal event. But it was by no means an accident,” said Ms. Rutledge, who suffered broken heels and ribs as well as other injuries and has retained lawyers to seek compensation. “When somebody tells you everything that was neglected and all that kind of stuff, and somebody not regulating it – that's not an accident.
“That's like somebody walking across a red light.”
Investigators found the balloon's gross weight was about 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms) over the maximum allowable. Operation at a greater weight required more fuel, which required a revamped configuration, the report says.
That configuration added a fourth cylinder to the balloon's original three-cylinder design and was not approved by the manufacturer or Transport Canada, the report says.
Pilot Steve Pennock, who survived the crash, was not available to comment.
But in a statement provided by a spokesperson, he said “the balloon was being operated within the standard practices of the ballooning industry at the time of the accident.”
On Aug. 11, just two weeks before the Surrey accident, a hot-air balloon crashed in strong winds outside of Winnipeg, dragging on the ground and erupting in flames as the pilot and passengers escaped.
In a report following that incident, the transportation safety board recommended that passenger-carrying balloons provide a level of safety equivalent to that of small aircraft and that balloons be equipped with emergency fuel shut-offs.
