 A hot air balloon similar to the accident balloon | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 13 August 1989 at 6:38 am ACST (UTC+9:30) |
| Summary | Hot-air balloon mid-air collision |
| Site | Near Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia |
| Operator | Toddy's Ballooning[1] |
| Flight origin | Alice Springs |
| Passengers | 12 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Fatalities | 13 |
| Survivors | 0 |
On 13 August 1989, two hot air balloons collided near Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia, causing one to crash to the ground, killing thirteen people. It was the world's deadliest ever ballooning disaster until February 2013, when a balloon accident near Luxor, Egypt killed 19 people. As of May 2023[update], it remains the deadliest ever ballooning accident in Australia, and the third-deadliest worldwide, surpassed only by the Egypt crash and a balloon accident in Texas in 2016 that claimed the lives of 16 people.
- ^ Peter Hughes; Christine Rau; Malcolm Brown (13 August 1989). "13 Die In 1,000m Balloon Plunge". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
As posted on www.hotairballoons.com.au