26:
239:
was reported at the time as being unique to the
Northern Territory. The judge found that the pilot had "failed to keep a proper lookout for a period of 30 seconds (during which the other balloon was hidden from view) and that the failure seriously endangered the lives of those below". During his 13-week trial, the court was told that Sanby had outlaid about $ 1 million of borrowed money to get into the new commercial hot-air ballooning industry, and that business at Toddy's Safari Ballooning was booming.
190:"I could see one of the balloons rising quite fast under another balloon. The lower balloon came up and hit the other one. Its top was touching the basket and it was shaking the passengers around. A rip appeared at the top of the balloon and it started to move away. It wasn't a very rapid movement. It moved away slowly but you knew it was in trouble. The pilot tried frantically to blast hot air into the stricken 'chute as the balloon lost height but there didn't appear to be any panic."
214:(BASI) found that the operator of the upper balloon, the operator of the ballooning company to which both balloons belonged, had failed to give way to the lower balloon as required by the company's operations manual. The investigation report said that the upper balloon was found to be missing the mandatory instrument package and that its pilot had refused to cooperate with investigators. Both balloons were fitted with
238:
sentenced the pilot of the upper balloon, Michael Sanby, to two years' jail, with an eight-month non-parole period, after an eight-man, four-woman jury had found him guilty of committing a dangerous act. He was found not guilty on 13 charges of manslaughter. The charge of committing a "dangerous act"
221:
The investigation found also that the pilot of the lower balloon, which crashed, had failed to properly assess the position of the upper balloon before ascending in close proximity to it. The investigation reported that the balloon plunged 2000 feet. The report said safety measures flowing from its
201:
Another news report said that ten bodies, arms interlinked, were found in the balloon's gondola. Three others were nearby in the sand, having apparently been ejected. Four balloons were in the air at the time of the accident. The pilot of one of the other balloons had made a radio call to alert the
170:
of the lower balloon engulfed the basket of the upper balloon, causing a tear in the envelope. The lower balloon hovered briefly, before rapidly deflating and plunging to the ground at high speed, killing its pilot and all twelve passengers. One body was reportedly thrown clear of the basket. The
937:
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The tear in the stricken balloon's red and black envelope was described as being the size of a bed sheet, and the balloon crashed between two small trees in open scrubland about 16 kilometres from
186:
The descent reportedly lasted 51 seconds. Witness statements said the balloon "folded and fell to earth" and that it "fell to the ground like a streamer". A tourist in another balloon said,
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killed 19 people. As of May 2023, it remains the deadliest ever ballooning accident in
Australia, and the third-deadliest worldwide, surpassed only by the Egypt crash and a
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147:, 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
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before impact. The male pilot and ten of the passengers were
Australian. Six of the passengers were male and six female. One male passenger was
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The accident was the result of a mid-air collision at 6:38 am, local time. One balloon ascended, colliding with another balloon above it. The
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emergency services. Passengers of the other balloons were treated in hospital for shock on their return to Alice
Springs.
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492:"Kavanagh Hot Air Balloon E-260, VH-NMS, 14 km SSE of Alice Springs Airport NT, 13 August 1989"
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The flight took off at Santa Teresa Road, 29 kilometres south east of Alice
Springs.
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radios operating on the same channel, but neither pilot contacted the other.
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Peter Hughes; Christine Rau; Malcolm Brown (13 August 1989).
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395:
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Aviation accidents and incidents in the
Northern Territory
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Sanby's conviction was subsequently overturned on appeal.
313:
390:
309:. Ellenburg, Washington. UPI. 14 August 1989. p. 8.
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who lived in Monaco. All of the passengers were adults.
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Accidents and incidents involving balloons and airships
297:
295:
366:. Meriden, Connecticut. AP. 14 August 1989. p. 5.
222:
investigation were now being implemented and that the
402:"Balloon crash pilots both broke rules, says report"
292:
465:. Northern Territory Supreme Court. Archived from
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30:A hot air balloon similar to the accident balloon
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370:
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429:. Australian Associated Press. Archived from
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749:Pakistan International Airlines Flight 404
629:Evergreen International Airlines Flight 17
525:
511:
420:
24:
499:– ATSB official report into the incident.
1065:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1989
386:. Reuters/AP. 14 August 1989. p. 4.
319:
303:"13 die when balloon drops from the sky"
19:1989 Alice Springs hot air balloon crash
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399:
287:As posted on www.hotairballoons.com.au
919:
809:Soviet Air Force Ilyushin Il-76 crash
506:
421:Mackinolty, Chips (3 December 1992).
378:"13 die in hot air balloon collision"
155:that claimed the lives of 16 people.
1080:Disasters in the Northern Territory
729:Alice Springs hot air balloon crash
13:
739:China Eastern Airlines Flight 5510
400:Hughes, Peter (29 November 1989).
263:
212:Bureau of Air Safety Investigation
179:and another male passenger was an
149:balloon accident near Luxor, Egypt
14:
1121:
1105:Tourism in the Northern Territory
484:
348:. AP. 14 August 1989. p. 3a.
342:"13 die in hot-air balloon crash"
320:Robinson, Paul (27 August 1989).
272:"13 Die In 1,000m Balloon Plunge"
153:balloon accident in Texas in 2016
535:Aviation accidents and incidents
236:Northern Territory Supreme Court
205:
1100:August 1989 events in Australia
1095:1980s in the Northern Territory
423:"Balloon Disaster Pilot Jailed"
759:Cubana de Aviación Flight 9046
699:Philippine Airlines Flight 124
451:
1:
327:The Sunday Age Agenda section
257:
226:should improve surveillance.
1012:List of ballooning accidents
252:List of ballooning accidents
229:
7:
1110:1989 disasters in Australia
869:Angola Lockheed L-100 crash
719:Olympic Aviation Flight 545
599:Flying Tiger Line Flight 66
589:Independent Air Flight 1851
245:
158:
10:
1126:
889:United Express Flight 2415
689:United Airlines Flight 232
659:Surinam Airways Flight 764
609:United Airlines Flight 811
44:13 August 1989 at 6:38 am
1004:
957:
898:
829:China Airlines Flight 204
579:Germany mid-air collision
550:
497:. ATSB. 28 November 1989.
461:MICHAEL WINSTON SANBY v R
445:www.hotairballoons.com.au
427:The Sydney Morning Herald
407:The Sydney Morning Herald
171:pilot had turned off the
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965:Alice Springs, Australia
360:"Balloon crash kills 13"
224:Civil Aviation Authority
947:Accidents and incidents
619:Air Ontario Flight 1363
135:On 13 August 1989, two
1041:23.98333°S 134.05722°E
971:Carterton, New Zealand
639:Transbrasil Flight 801
559:Air battle near Tobruk
192:
849:Korean Air Flight 175
839:Aeroflot Flight 37577
709:Korean Air Flight 803
569:Kegworth air disaster
346:The Milwaukee Journal
330:. pp. 1 & 2.
276:Sydney Morning Herald
196:Alice Springs Airport
188:
1046:-23.98333; 134.05722
819:TAN-SAHSA Flight 414
679:Belgium MiG-23 crash
669:Interflug Flight 102
322:"Death at the Alice"
216:ultra high frequency
1037: /
989:Lockhart, Texas, US
977:Ljubljana, Slovenia
907:► 1990
901:1988 ◄
779:Partnair Flight 394
433:on 30 December 2012
20:
1090:Mid-air collisions
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859:Avianca Flight 203
469:on 23 October 2013
383:The Glasgow Herald
145:Northern Territory
87:Toddy's Ballooning
77:Northern Territory
18:
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799:USAir Flight 5050
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62:mid-air collision
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60:Hot-air balloon
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879:KLM Flight 867
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789:UTA Flight 772
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649:EAS Flight 602
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139:collided near
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1075:Alice Springs
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1005:Related lists
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443:As posted on
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206:Investigation
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141:Alice Springs
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96:Alice Springs
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92:Flight origin
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995:Luxor, Egypt
983:Luxor, Egypt
964:
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471:. Retrieved
467:the original
460:
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435:. Retrieved
431:the original
426:
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410:. p. 9.
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279:. Retrieved
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134:
15:
1044: /
1032:134°03′26″E
173:gas burners
79:, Australia
1059:Categories
1029:23°59′00″S
949:involving
473:22 October
437:11 January
258:References
118:Fatalities
102:Passengers
958:Accidents
281:8 January
230:Aftermath
126:Survivors
246:See also
168:envelope
159:Accident
84:Operator
50:UTC+9:30
36:Accident
539: (
537:in 1989
181:Italian
57:Summary
997:(2018)
991:(2016)
985:(2013)
979:(2012)
973:(2012)
967:(1989)
885:Dec 26
875:Dec 15
865:Nov 27
855:Nov 27
845:Nov 25
835:Nov 21
825:Oct 26
815:Oct 21
805:Oct 18
795:Sep 20
785:Sep 19
745:Aug 25
735:Aug 15
725:Aug 13
705:Jul 27
695:Jul 21
685:Jul 19
665:Jun 17
645:Apr 10
635:Mar 21
625:Mar 18
615:Mar 10
605:Feb 24
595:Feb 19
575:Jan 13
177:Danish
775:Sep 8
765:Sep 3
755:Sep 3
715:Aug 3
675:Jul 4
655:Jun 7
585:Feb 8
565:Jan 8
555:Jan 4
495:(PDF)
71:Near
541:1989
475:2013
439:2012
283:2012
210:The
110:Crew
68:Site
46:ACST
41:Date
1061::
441:.
425:.
404:.
392:^
380:.
362:.
344:.
324:.
305:.
294:^
285:.
274:.
198:.
143:,
121:13
105:12
75:,
939:e
932:t
925:v
543:)
526:e
519:t
512:v
477:.
463:"
459:"
129:0
113:1
52:)
48:(
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