Exploding Propane Tanks

From time to time it is important to be reminded of the potential hazards of a sport involving highly flammable gasses – an aspect of both hot air and gas ballooning.

The danger is not limited to while the flight is actually taking place.

As this video shows, there is also a very real danger when transporting your balloon and gas cylinders to your next event.

Taken on a highway in Russia, the films shows a truck carrying bottles of gas speeding through traffic and then breaking suddenly in congestion whereupon it is involved in a fairly minor collision. The results, though, are spectacular, catastrophic and horrifying with cylinders falling off the truck, fracturing and spewing vapour which is then ignited into a fire lasting several minutes with sporadic explosions throwing shrapnel and even entire cylinders across both carriageways.

Before you head out for your next flight, consider how your rig is loaded. Could you avoid a similar situation occurring, and what steps would you take if your balloon truck or trailer were rear-ended?