Authorities are investigating a hot air balloon accident in Canterbury that has left a person seriously injured.
File photo Photo: 123RF
Emergency services were called to Lyndhurst Road in Lauriston shortly after nine o'clock this morning.
Transport investigators said the balloon's pilot was rushed to hospital with serious injuries after being ejected from the balloon's basket during a rough landing.
St John tweeted that one patient had been transported to Christchurch Hospital.
01/01/22 09:10: Aviation incident in Lauriston, Methven. 1 patient treated 1 patient transported to Christchurch Hospital. Helicopter dispatched. https://t.co/OrVfcYiVmO
— St John (@StJohnAlerts) December 31, 2021
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has opened an inquiry into the accident and appealed for witnesses to come forward.
It was particularly keen to hear from people with photos or videos of the incident.
TAIC spokesman Simon Pleasants told RNZ it had been reported that the hot air balloon had experienced a "rough landing", during which it bounced once or twice.
"The pilot was ejected from the basket and the balloon carried on across the ground with the pilot entangled in some rope until it finally came to a halt and tipped over."
In an earlier statement, TAIC said the pilot was reported to have been "seriously injured" in the accident and had been taken to hospital.
Pleasants said it appeared the seven other people on board had escaped without injury.
TAIC's Chief Investigator of Accidents Harald Hendel asked anyone who had witnessed the accident or who had seen the balloon in flight to file a report on the commission's website.
Hendel said the commission had appointed an investigation team of two, who were travelling to the accident site today.
"Over the next several days, TAIC's investigators will gather evidence about the accident scene, secure wreckage and electronic records such as photos, videos, and location data on the cellphones of the balloon occupants.
"We're interested in what the balloon occupants recall, along with the relevant professional and personal backgrounds of the pilot and other operator staff, what they knew, thought, experienced, and did."
TAIC is currently investigating another hot air balloon accident which occurred in July last year.
In that incident, 11 people were injured when a hot air balloon crashed into a low bank as it was coming in to land near Arrowtown in Central Otago.
