Aircraft Pilot, 28, Dies in Hot Air Balloon Crash After Being Thrown from Basket

YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Aviation instructor and pilot Jagoda Gancarek died in a hot air balloon accident in Poland on Monday, March 9.

• “He had a lot of aviation experience and shared this experience with others,” Lubusz Land Aeroclub said in a statement. he said.

• Two women in the hot air balloon were also injured in the accident and taken to hospital.

An airplane pilot was fatally injured when the hot air balloon he was in crashed with two other people in Poland.

The city’s District Attorney’s Office said on Monday, March 9, that Jagoda Gancarek was “ejected” from the basket of his hot air balloon when it crashed into a building on Krzywoustego Street in Zielona Góra. expression.

The statement said, “The woman who fell from the balloon basket was brought back to life, but could not be revived despite life-saving measures.” “The prosecutor examined the place where the body was found on the roof of the building and the body was taken to the police station for autopsy.”

Gancarek was riding in a hot air balloon with two other women who were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries following the crash.

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The Zielona Góra District Prosecutor’s Office and the State Aircraft Accidents Investigation Commission are investigating the cause of the incident.

According to the Polish news outlet, the hot air balloon is believed to belong to Lubusz Land Aeroclub, where Gancarek worked as a pilot Real. He completed a pilot training course at the club in 2022 before training other future pilots.

Lubusz Land Aeroclub shared a statement about the incident. instagram“It is with great sadness that we announce the tragic death of our Lubuska Aeroclub pilot colleague Jagoda Gancarek.

“Jagoda lived his passions as a flight instructor. He also flew as a fire fighter pilot,” the statement said. “He had a lot of aviation experience and shared that experience with others.”

The club said that Gancarek, who won the title of Polish Women’s Champion at the 11th Women’s Balloon Championship in 2025, will be remembered for her “passion” and “love of flying”.

Lubusz Land Aeroclub’s statement said: “Our thoughts are with his family, friends and all members of the Lubuska Land Aeroclub. We extend our deepest condolences.”

According to the Polish funeral home Jasica Zakład Pogrzebowy, a funeral will be held for Gancarek on Saturday, March 14. Facebook page.

The Zielona Góra District Prosecutor’s Office and the State Aircraft Accidents Commission did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for further comment.

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