Hot air balloon designer, pilot dies in balloon mishap in Vermont
Brian Boland – who had over 11,000 hours piloting balloons – was a forerunner of experimental lighter-than-air balloon building.
By LISA RATHKE and WILSON RINGAssociated Press
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BRADFORD, Vt. A hot air balloon designer and pilot who died after becoming entangled in gear underneath the basket of his balloon and then fell was known for his eccentricity and prowess in the industry.
Post Mills Airport owner Brian Boland is shown in 2010. Boland, 72, the pilot of a hot-air balloon that had been carrying a total of five people, died Thursday after becoming entangled in gear underneath the basket and then falling to the ground in Bradford, Vermont.
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BRADFORD, Vt. (AP) â A hot air balloon designer and pilot who died after becoming entangled in gear underneath the basket of his balloon and then fell was known for his eccentricity and prowess in the industry.
Brian Boland died Thursday after taking off with his balloon, which was carrying four passengers, from the private Post Mills Airport in the Vermont town of Thetford.
Some time later, the balloon touched down in a field and one passenger fell out, but was unhurt. At that point, Boland, 72, became entangled in gear affixed to the balloon as it re-ascended. Police said he eventually âfell to the ground from a heightâ into a Vermont field and was later pronounced dead.
Pilot Dies After Falling From Hot-Air Balloon In Vermont
By Web Staff
BRADFORD, Vermont (WBZ) A pilot is dead after falling from a hot-air balloon Thursday afternoon in Bradford, Vermont. Police have identified him as 72-year-old Brian Boland.
Boland took off with four passengers from Post Mills Airport. After takeoff, the balloon started to descend and touched down in a field, where Vermont State Police say the basket tipped and a passenger fell out.
“During this sequence, the pilot became entangled in gear affixed to the balloon as it re-ascended and ended up entrapped underneath the basket, where he eventually fell to the ground from a height,” police said. “The pilot landed in a field off Waits River Road and was pronounced dead on scene.”