Hot-air balloon pilot falls to death during international festival

Maxime Trepanier's balloon, seen here in an image posted on his Facebook page.

An international hot-air balloon festival took a sad turn Sunday morning when a 26-year-old man tumbled to his death.

Maxime Trepanier, an experienced hot-air balloon pilot, was taking part in the 30^th annual Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu International Balloon Festival at about 7:30 a.m. when the accident occurred.

His balloon lifted off an hour before that, along with some 100 others taking part in the event.

The accident happened at a landing pad on Rang Double in Mont-Saint-Gregoire, about 50 kilometres southeast of Montreal. So far it is unclear as to why or how far he fell.

The victim, a 27-year-old father of two, successfully landed his aircraft with the help of ground crew but then for reasons unknown, the balloon suddenly lifted and became airborne again, causing Trepanier to lose balance and fall to his death.

Eyewitness Jean Leblanc said wind was likely a factor.

“There’s a lot of wind in the field behind my house,” he said. “It can push a balloon quite far.”

Trepanier was rushed to hospital where he underwent emergency treatment but his death was confirmed just before noon.

Marie-Claude Beauvais, a festival spokeswoman, said was an experienced pilot and had been involved with the festival since he was a boy. "He was very close to the festival family," said Beauvais, visibly shaken as she addressed reporters on Sunday.

Trepanier's father was also a ballonist, and played a role in developing the internationally-recognized event.

Festival activities have been cancelled for the rest of the day out of respect to the victim. Events will continue for the rest of the week, however.

The week-long festival is a major tourist attraction for the region, drawing 450,000 visitors who come to see the 125 hot-air balloons from around the world.

Canada’s Transportation Safety Board is investigating the tragedy. It could not immediately provide figures on the number of hot-air balloon accidents in Canada. This is the first incident of its kind in the 30 years of the Saint-Jean festival.

-With a file from The Canadian Press