VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) – Canada’s transportation safety watchdog recommended tighter regulation of commercial hot-air balloons on Tuesday after finding a broken fuel line led to a midair fire last year that killed two people.
The line became disconnected, but because the balloon’s fuel tank lacked an emergency shutoff valve the leaking propane could not be stopped once the fire began, the Transportation Safety Board said in its report.
Safety inspectors found the aircraft had been modified to add a fourth propane tank, but because of the lack of regulatory oversight the changes to the manufacturer’s design were never challenged, the board’s report said.
