Hot air balloon makes unexpected landing near Overijse, Belgium

Last night, on 26 August, a Belgian family living in Overijse helped a balloon pilot during an unexpected landing. The balloon encountered difficulties when the wind calmed down and the gas in the balloon began to run out. The hot air balloon was in danger of drifting into the restricted zone around Brussels Airport and needed to land as quickly as possible. Fortunately, no one was injured during the landing.

Bart Vanderlinden from Tombeek explains his story to the Belgian press: “After a long workday, I spotted a balloon in the sky. A beautiful sight, as we were having dinner in our garden. We heard some noise, to realise that the pilot was using a lot of gas. As the wind died down, the balloon quickly ran out of gas.”

The landing went smoothly, Bart recalls: “We opened a bottle of champagne afterwards and drank some beers to celebrate the successful outcome. It turned out that one of the passengers was celebrating a birthday, and the balloon ride had been a gift.”