OTTAWA — A "lack of adequate standards" leaves a gap in hot air balloon safety, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said Thursday.
In a news release the safety watchdog called on Transport Canada to more strictly regulate the ballooning industry to ensure passengers are not put in danger because of lax practices.
"What we're sayings is that passenger-carrying commercial balloon operations should provide the same level of safety — equivalent to other aircraft operations of about the same size. We're looking for an equivalency there in terms of the regulatory standards and the safety standards," TSB chair Wendy Tadros said.
"We're saying, 'If you have six people flying in a hot-air balloon, they should expect the same level of safety as if you have six people flying in a (small aircraft),'" Tadros said.
The TSB recommended that commercial hot air balloons be strictly regulated by Transport Canada and that all balloons be equipped with an emergency fuel cut-off valve.
Transport Canada spokeswoman Maryse Durette said the agency is already moving forward to implement improvements to existing regulations.
"The department had previously responded to the recommendations and the Transportation Safety Board assessed our course of action as satisfactory," Durette said in an email.
Durette said that while the regulatory process was moving forward, "the department is speeding it up to implement aviation regulatory actions at a quicker rate in response to recommendations from the TSB."
Currently, Transport Canada requires all hot air balloons to be inspected by someone certified by the government agency once a year and after every 100 hours of flying time.
The general manager for Belmont, Ont.-based Sundance Balloons, Barry McGonigle, said ballooning is a very safe activity and the industry takes inspections seriously.
"We work diligently to make sure we not only meet regulatory requirements, but we exceed all regulatory requirements," McGonigle said. "If TSB and Transport Canada decide they want to change or enhance or whatever they decide, we'll be happy to work right alongside them to ensure that . . . ballooning is as safe as possible."
The TSB said it has made these recommendations in the past, but Transport Canada has yet to enact any changes.
"Things move fairly slowly with the regulator," Tadros said. "We know that they are taking some steps and there's some work in progress, but it hasn't progressed in four years far enough along to put any new standards in place or to address the safety issues that we found."
McGonigle said ballooning accidents are rare, but when they do happen they attract attention.
"Balloons are big and colourful and beautiful, so if anything happens that's out of the ordinary it attracts attention," he said.
"We make sure all the balloons are maintained properly, inspected properly and are in tip-top condition."
Tadros said the industry will sometimes implement TSB regulations on its own, which she said is "a good interim step."
"Often, we're looking for standards that apply to the whole industry. So that's why we look to Transport Canada because they are the regulator in aviation," Tadros said.
The initial TSB recommendations were brought about after two serious crashes in 2007, one in Surrey, B.C., and the other in Winnipeg. Two people were killed and 11 injured when a balloon caught fire on takeoff in Surrey. In Winnipeg three were seriously injured after high winds forced a heavy landing that resulted in a fire.
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