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
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