Hot Air Balloon Crash With Train: Conductor Took Action, Report Says

BURLINGTON, WI — The engineer and conductor on the train that collided with a hot air balloon in Burlington on June 1 slowed their locomotive down as they saw the balloon descend, according to a preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The crash happened around 8 p.m., leaving the Cameron Z-90 balloon's pilot and two passengers with serious injuries. The balloon landed in a grassy area between railroad tracks and a street, but as the balloon lost air and went limp, it started to blow toward the passing railcars nearby, eventually catching onto the train, the NTSB report said.

It happened near the 400 block of Calumet Street. All three passengers' injuries were life-threatening, police said — two were brought to Froedtert Hospital via Flight For Life after the crash.

RELATED: Hot Air Balloon Crashes In Burlington, Struck By Train, 3 Injured

The engineer on the Canadian National freight train passing northbound saw the balloon descending and slowed the train since he was unsure where the balloon was headed, the report said.

The conductor activated the train's emergency brakes after seeing the balloon begin to drift into an empty lumber car 15 railcars behind the engine, according to the NTSB report.

When the balloon's envelope caught the train, it was pulled from the ground. The balloon ripped away from the basket, the passengers fell out, and the envelope ascended 200 feet into the air, the NTSB report said.

The balloon basket was found intact but upside-down near the railroad tracks, while the envelope ended up 500 feet away in the street.

The preliminary report from the NTSB is one of the first official reports to come out from the investigation into the crash. Being preliminary, the report is subject to change, according to the NTSB.