Accident G-CMFS
Amateur-built balloon (DB-6R), G-CMFS, balloon envelope collapsed in-flight, fell from height and struck the ground, Ombersley Court, Worcestershire, 25 June 2023.
AAIB investigation to amateur-built balloon (DB-6R), G-CMFS
Safety Recommendation: 2024-008
It is recommended that the Civil Aviation Authority publish guidance on the design, testing and inspection of amateur-built balloons to reduce the risk of accidents due to unsafe conditions such as parachute stall.
The CAA has now completed its work regarding this Safety Recommendation.
We have today published Revision 2 of our Safety Directive SD-2021/004V2 which now contains restrictions on ascent/descent rates and prohibitions on amateur-building of racer and special shape envelopes, together with other safety considerations unrelated to the Safety Recommendation.
We have also published webpage guidance on the design, testing and inspection of amateur built balloons and have liaised with the British Balloon and Airship Club (BBAC) on this content. Read the Amateur built hot air balloons guidance.
We consider that these actions have satisfactorily fulfilled our commitments detailed within the Safety Recommendation.
Adequate - Open
Pending AAIB review
AAIB Recommendation transmittal
Date
16/05/2024
Status
Open
CAA Initial Update
Date
15/08/2024
The CAA accepts this recommendation and will publish guidance to mitigate the risk of accidents caused by unsafe conditions arising from the design, testing, and inspection of amateur-built balloons. The CAA will liaise with the British Balloon and Airship Club (BBAC) in producing this guidance.
The CAA will provide an update on the actions taken to address this safety recommendation by the end of February 2025.
Status
Open
AAIB Classification
Date
13/09/2024
Status
Adequate - Open
CAA Update
Date
28/02/2025
The CAA is currently developing guidance on the design, testing and inspection of amateur built balloons to reduce the risk of accidents due to unsafe conditions such as parachute stall.
The CAA has been liaising with the amateur built balloon community with a view to producing guidance in the form of webpages on the CAA website to provide best practice guidance on the design, testing and inspecting of amateur built balloons and it is hoped the BBAC will also provide guidance in this regard and our liaison with them continues. It is also our intention to issue a Safety Notice (SN) regarding our decision to continue to allow the amateur built balloons to be unregulated. The SN shall also direct to the CAA website guidance and our previous Safety Directive (SD) on volumetric and occupancy limitations which will endure on a non-expiring basis.
The CAA will provide an update on the actions taken to address this Safety Recommendation by the end of June 2025.
AAIB Classification
Date
11/07/2025
Status
Adequate - Open
CAA Update
Date
30/06/2025
The CAA is continuing to develop guidance on the design, testing and inspection of amateur built balloons to reduce the risk of accidents due to unsafe conditions such as parachute stall.
The CAA has liaised with the amateur built balloon community to prepare guidance in the form of webpages on the CAA website to provide best practice guidance on the design, testing and inspecting of amateur built balloons, our liaison with the BBAC also continues on their assistance in providing guidance to the community. We are currently in the process of drafting a Safety Notice (SN) regarding our decision to continue to allow the amateur built balloons to be unregulated. We intend to publish this Safety Notice by the end of Summer 2025.
The CAA will provide an update on the actions taken to address this Safety Recommendation by the end of January 2026.
AAIB Classification
Date
28/07/2025
Status
Adequate - Open
CAA Update
Date
The CAA is in the final stages of developing guidance on the design, testing and inspection of amateur-built balloons to reduce the risk of accidents due to unsafe conditions such as parachute stall.
The CAA has liaised with the amateur built balloon community to prepare guidance in the form of webpages on the CAA website to provide best practice guidance on the design, testing and inspecting of amateur built balloons, our liaison with the BBAC also continues on their assistance in providing guidance to the community.
It is now our intention to revise our current Safety Directive (SD) and not issue a Safety Notice (SN) as it is felt that the proposed webpage guidance will negate the need for a SN. We shall revise our SD to further address the policy on what types of balloon can and cannot be manufactured in this unregulated environment.
The CAA will provide an update on the actions taken to address this Safety Recommendation by the end of May 2026.
AAIB Classification
Date
27/02/2026
Status
Adequate - Open
CAA Update
Date
29/06/2026
The CAA has now completed its work regarding this Safety Recommendation.
We have today published Revision 2 of our Safety Directive SD-2021/004V2 which now contains restrictions on ascent/descent rates and prohibitions on amateur-building of racer and special shape envelopes, together with other safety considerations unrelated to the Safety Recommendation.
We have also today published webpage guidance on the design, testing and inspection of amateur built balloons and have liaised with the British Balloon and Airship Club (BBAC) on this content. Amateur built hot air balloons | UK Civil Aviation Authority.
We consider that these actions have satisfactorily fulfilled our commitments detailed within the Safety Recommendation.
Safety Recommendation: 2024-012
It is recommended that the Civil Aviation Authority publish guidance for the safe oversight of competition balloon flying in the UK, to ensure the risks associated with the activity are appropriately understood by competitors and managed by competition organisers.
The CAA has now completed its work regarding this Safety Recommendation.
The CAA published CAP1739 (Safety Guidance for Balloon Events and Competitions) on 30th April 2026.This document focuses on both balloon events such as fiestas and competitions. Specifically for competitions, the guidance contained within the document aims to ensure the risks associated with competition balloon flying and other balloon events are understood by competitors and managed by competition organisers.
This has been produced with the assistance of representatives from the BBAC and the wider ballooning community from across the event and competition disciplines, incorporating best/recommended practices from the community.
We consider that these actions have satisfactorily fulfilled our commitments detailed within the Safety Recommendation.
Adequate - Open
Pending AAIB review
AAIB Recommendation transmittal
Date
16/05/2024
Status
Open
CAA Initial Update
Date
15/08/2024
The CAA accepts this recommendation and will publish safety guidance for balloon events to ensure the risks associated with competition balloon flying are understood by competitors and managed by competition organisers. The CAA will liaise with the British Balloon and Airship Club (BBAC) in producing this safety guidance.
The CAA will provide an update on the actions taken to address this safety recommendation by the end of February 2025.
Status
Open
AAIB Classification
Date
13/09/2024
Status
Adequate - Open
CAA Update
Date
28/02/2025
The CAA is currently developing safety guidance for balloon events to ensure the risks associated with competition balloon flying are understood by competitors and managed by competition organisers. This will be in the form of a CAP document.
The CAA has been liaising with the British Balloon and Airship Club and a working group has been established with Ballooning SMEs from across the event and competition space to produce this CAP with an initial meeting on Thursday 27th February. The working group will review current guidance and rules within the UK and Overseas and identify any gaps to produce material for the CAP.
The CAA will provide an update on the actions taken to address this Safety Recommendation by the end of June 2025.
AAIB Classification
Date
11/07/2025
Status
Adequate - Open
CAA Update
Date
30/06/2025
The CAA is currently developing safety guidance for balloon events to ensure the risks associated with competition balloon flying are understood by competitors and managed by competition organisers. This will be in the form of a CAP document.
In the production of this CAP, the CAA has had detailed discussions during Q2 of 2025 with a working group comprising representatives from the British Balloon and Airship Club and the wider ballooning community from across the event and competition disciplines. In these meetings both national and international rules and guidance has been considered by the CAA for inclusion in the CAP as well as also considering emerging best/recommended practices form the community that could be included in the CAP document. The CAA is now in the process of producing a first draft of the proposed CAP with a view to further engaging with the working group in Q3 of 2025 before a public consultation on the CAP in Q4 2025.
The CAA will provide an update on the actions taken to address this Safety Recommendation by the end of January 2026.
AAIB Classification
Date
28/07/2025
Status
Adequate - Open
CAA Update
Date
29/01/2026
The CAA has been developing safety guidance for balloon events to ensure the risks associated with competition balloon flying are understood by competitors and managed by competition organisers in the form of a non-statutory CAP document.
This has been produced with the assistance of representatives from the British Balloon and Airship Club and the wider ballooning community from across the event and competition disciplines, incorporating best/recommended practices from the community. This document is currently undergoing consultation until Friday 13th February. Following subsequent amendments post-consultation, the document is intended for publication in Spring 2026.
The CAA will provide an update on the actions taken to address this Safety Recommendation by the end of May 2026.
AAIB Classification
Date
27/02/2026
Status
Adequate - Open
CAA Update
Date
29/06/2026
The CAA has now completed its work regarding this Safety Recommendation.
The CAA published CAP1739 (Safety Guidance for Balloon Events and Competitions) on 30th April 2026.
This document focuses on both balloon events such as fiestas and competitions. Specifically for competitions, the guidance contained within the document aims to ensure the risks associated with competition balloon flying and other balloon events are understood by competitors and managed by competition organisers.
This has been produced with the assistance of representatives from the BBAC and the wider ballooning community from across the event and competition disciplines, incorporating best/recommended practices from the community.
We consider that these actions have satisfactorily fulfilled our commitments detailed within the Safety Recommendation.