CRANDALL, Texas — A gas balloon participating in the cross-country 66th Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett balloon race crash landed in Crandall Monday night, October 9, 2023.
CRANDALL, Texas — A gas balloon participating in the cross-country 66th Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett balloon race crash landed in Crandall Monday night, October 9, 2023.
Officials say the gas-powered balloon hit a power line during an apparent descent and burst into flames.
Additionally, officials only reported minor injuries to the two pilots onboard.
According to Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett race tracking website, Polish team, POL-1, was overhead Crandall at the time of the crash, at a low altitude of less than 130 meters, and its tracking has not since updated.
Aboard the gas-powered balloon were Pilot in Command Krzysztof Zapart and Second Pilot Piotr Halas, according to the tracking website.
POL-1, and the other international teams competing in the 66th Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett, launched Saturday from the Albuquerque International Balloon Festival. Teams were generally heading in the direction of Virginia and were expected to fly between two and four days. The team landing the furthest away from the starting point won the competition.