The short answer is: yes, much more often than not. Accidents are becoming rarer and rarer, but they do happen. 2022 data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board shows 775 recorded hot air balloon accidents in the United States since 1964, in total. Only 70 of them have been fatal. Nonetheless, a 2013 study also found an increase in incidents between 2000 and 2011, as regulations regarding commercial hot air balloon flights appeared to ease. “The inverse relationship between accident rates and surveillance raises concerns about the public health impact of less regulated commercial air travel operations, such as paid hot air balloon flights,” the authors of the paper warn. study in the report.
With the growing popularity of this hobby, more regulations may follow. After a 2016 crash in Lockhart, Texas, that killed 16 people when a hot air balloon crashed into power lines and caught fire, it prompted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to take new steps to make the safer adventure. In collaboration with the Balloon Federation Of America, the “Safety Envelope”, a new accreditation program, has been developed. To meet the requirements, pilots would have to be commercially certified for at least 18 months to carry more than 4 to 6 passengers, be recertified to fly every two years, and have other qualifications. Droplyne Hot Air Balloons participates in the program.
In 2022, the FAA went even further by adopting a new rule requiring hot air balloon pilots to hold medical certificates when carrying paying passengers – the same ones other professional pilots hold. Tammy Jones, a spokesperson for the FAA, explained in an email: “Balloons must follow the same regulations as other types of aircraft.” Although the FAA does not specify where balloons can take off or land, “they must be operated safely so as not to pose a danger to people or property on the surface.” Jones continued. They also increased the number of training hours pilots would need to get certified.
Although no mode of air travel poses zero risk, in comparison, hot air balloons are very safe, statistically speaking. Bruce Byberg, Northeast region director for the Balloon Federation of America, agrees. “Aviation is the safest mode of transportation and balloons are the safest mode of air transportation,” he wrote in an email. He claims “more than 4,000 accident-free flight hours” as a pilot himself and says he always flies “within the margins of the plane’s manual.” While Byberg may be slightly partial to hot air ballooning, statistically he’s not wrong. According to a 2024 data report from Gitnux, worldwide, there were fewer than 30 hot air balloon deaths between 2008 and 2022. Being killed by a shark, a lightning strike, or even falling into the Grand Canyon (which, of course, shockingly, leads to around 12 deaths per year) are all the more likely.
The short answer is: yes, much more often than not. Accidents are becoming rarer and rarer, but they do happen. 2022 data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board shows 775 recorded hot air balloon accidents in the United States since 1964, in total. Only 70 of them have been fatal. Nonetheless, a 2013 study also found an increase in incidents between 2000 and 2011, as regulations regarding commercial hot air balloon flights appeared to ease. “The inverse relationship between accident rates and surveillance raises concerns about the public health impact of less regulated commercial air travel operations, such as paid hot air balloon flights,” the authors of the paper warn. study in the report.
With the growing popularity of this hobby, more regulations may follow. After a 2016 crash in Lockhart, Texas, that killed 16 people when a hot air balloon crashed into power lines and caught fire, it prompted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to take new steps to make the safer adventure. In collaboration with the Balloon Federation Of America, the “Safety Envelope”, a new accreditation program, has been developed. To meet the requirements, pilots would have to be commercially certified for at least 18 months to carry more than 4 to 6 passengers, be recertified to fly every two years, and have other qualifications. Droplyne Hot Air Balloons participates in the program.
In 2022, the FAA went even further by adopting a new rule requiring hot air balloon pilots to hold medical certificates when carrying paying passengers – the same ones other professional pilots hold. Tammy Jones, a spokesperson for the FAA, explained in an email: “Balloons must follow the same regulations as other types of aircraft.” Although the FAA does not specify where balloons can take off or land, “they must be operated safely so as not to pose a danger to people or property on the surface.” Jones continued. They also increased the number of training hours pilots would need to get certified.
Although no mode of air travel poses zero risk, in comparison, hot air balloons are very safe, statistically speaking. Bruce Byberg, Northeast region director for the Balloon Federation of America, agrees. “Aviation is the safest mode of transportation and balloons are the safest mode of air transportation,” he wrote in an email. He claims “more than 4,000 accident-free flight hours” as a pilot himself and says he always flies “within the margins of the plane’s manual.” While Byberg may be slightly partial to hot air ballooning, statistically he’s not wrong. According to a 2024 data report from Gitnux, worldwide, there were fewer than 30 hot air balloon deaths between 2008 and 2022. Being killed by a shark, a lightning strike, or even falling into the Grand Canyon (which, of course, shockingly, leads to around 12 deaths per year) are all the more likely.