SURPRISING STUFF
Burlington hot air balloon crash sends three to hospital in critical condition.
The crash took place early in the morning of Wednesday, June 1, 2022. The company involved in a hot air balloon crash in Burlington is cooperating fully with all investigations. The balloon that was being flown was from the Lake Geneva Balloon Company, but the pilot did not work directly for them and was a subcontractor. There are about forty to fifty hot air balloon pilots in Wisconsin but only a hand full do it commercially. The balloon industry’s licensing has faced scrutiny in recent years so in 2018 Donald Trump signed the Commercial Balloon Pilot Safety Act requiring medical exams for all commercial balloon pilots. The new regulation requires pilots to have a second-class medical which means it has to be renewed every year. It seems that since this law has been signed that the FAA still has not enforced it. Still a hot air balloon crash is very rare. It is a safe industry with lots of training for the pilots and screw, especially for emergency situations that may arise.
A witness from a hot air balloon accident in Burlington last week stated the balloon struck a building, bounced off it, and was struck by a train. All three victims were severely injured and hurt. Two were taken to the hospital by Flight For Life and the other was taken by ambulance. The pilot later stated that the gondola touched down and the balloon became entangled with the train. Was the pilot medically qualified and checked out to be making the commercial flight? Was his physical condition a factor in the crash? Police are continuing with the investigation and cooperating with other agencies also involved in the investigation. Hot air ballooning is among the safest of all flying venues, but if the pilot is impaired in any way, the balloons are not typically capable of being operated in any way by inexperienced and untrained passengers. As of going to press this week, the Geneva Shore Report was able to discover that all three crash victims were released from the hospital.
Business of the Week
Gage Marine. A company of beauty, efficiency, profit and some controversy. Bill Gage is a character. Geneva Lake’s character. He’s also loved by most all.
