Pictured: Ryanair pilot, 25, killed in front of his brother when the homemade hot air balloon he built in just 15 days burst into flames at nearly 1,000ft
- Peter Gregory died after the aircraft suddenly erupted into a ‘fireball’
A young man who died in a horror hot air balloon explosion in Worcestershire at the weekend has been pictured for the first time.
Peter Gregory, 25, died when his homemade craft suddenly erupted into a fireball above the village of Ombersley and plunged to the ground.
The Ryanair pilot was flying alongside his older brother Dan when his £4,000 balloon malfunctioned at almost 1,000ft.
Witnesses said the multi-coloured craft burst into flames in mid-air near Ombersley Court at 6.20am on Sunday morning.
Peter’s family, all expert balloonists, are said to be ‘in bits’ over the tragedy but are consoled by the fact he died doing what he loved.
Peter Gregory, 25, died when his homemade craft suddenly erupted into a fireball above the village of Ombersley and plunged to the ground
Peter Gregory inside the hot air balloon that he built himself in his workshop
The experienced pilot made the balloon in just 15 days using tent fabric and a sewing machine in his workshop.
West Mercia Police are investigating the accident after Peter and brother Daniel, 26, took off in separate balloons shortly after dawn on Sunday morning.
The brothers’ parents Andrew and Louise were said to be ‘devastated’ at their home in the Cotswolds, 30 miles from the scene of the tragedy.
In a tribute released via West Mercia Police today the family said: ‘Peter Gregory, 25 years of living life to the full.
‘On the morning of Sunday 25th June, our Pilot Pete took one last flight, doing what he loved.
‘Be it in a hot air balloon or as an Airline Pilot, Peter’s passion for flying was something his family and friends could only admire and support him towards.’
They added: ‘When he set his heart to something, he’d never give up, he was driven and determined, and one could only watch on in awe. We will fly together again soon Pete. We love you.’
The tribute was signed from ‘Dan, mummy, daddy and Emma’ and asked for people to respect the privacy of Peter’s family and friends at ‘this difficult time’.
Peter’s family, all expert balloonists, are said to be ‘in bits’ over the tragedy but are consoled by the fact he died doing what he loved
The balloon crashed into trees off Holt Fleet Road, near Ombersley Court, Worcester, at around 6.20am on Sunday
Neighbours were in tears today at the loss of the ‘wonderful young man’, who came from a third-generation ballooning family.
One woman, who didn’t want to be named, said: ‘Everyone is upset and devastated by what’s happened.
‘The family is big into ballooning – they live for it. Peter was a wonderful young man.’
‘I’ve been in tears, I can’t stop thinking about his family and how they must be feeling.’
Locals said they had seen Peter in a hot air balloon drifting over the picturesque village of Calcot, Gloucestershire, where he grew up.
Two road trailers for transporting hot air balloons were parked outside the family’s Cotswold stone cottage along with a support vehicle used by Peter on his ballooning trips.
Another villager said: ‘They are a lovely family, no one can quite take it in.’
Locals said they had seen Peter in a hot air balloon drifting over the picturesque village of Calcot, Gloucestershire, where he grew up (Pictured: Peter’s balloon, which plummeted to the ground at the weekend)
The balloon crashed into trees off Holt Fleet Road, near Ombersley Court, Worcester, at around 6.20am
A hot air balloon enthusiast and photographer who watched Peter’s first flight in his homemade balloon today said: ‘It was a very new balloon which was hand built in the last year. It’s tragic what happened
‘He was very experienced pilot. I understand his father and grandfather were both hot air balloon pilots. He was a 3rd generation pilot in his family. His grandfather had been flying since the 80s.
‘I’m believed he has been in ballooning since he was just three-years-old and had his pilot license since he was 18. He finished in the top 18 in the world championships, too.
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Eight-month-old Mabli Hall – the youngest of six children – suffered severe head injuries in the tragic accident
‘The balloon was registered in 2022 and had its first flight in Cheltenham in June 2022.
‘I believe he was a commercial airline pilot for Ryanair. Most of the balloons in this country are made by a handful of balloon manufacturers world-wide, there’s not many that are handmade.
‘It sounded like there was some sort of fire and it caused it to collapse. That’s the biggest risk to ballooning. There’s normally a whole load of safety checks before you take off, making sure that there’s no leaks.
They added: ‘It’s a bit of a mystery as to what’s happened. It was quite windy up near me in Nottingham so I can’t imagine it was ideal flying conditions further south. I’m guessing there must have been some sort of leak.’
‘Balloon accidents are often very rare, the last was 12 years ago. In 50 years there have only been five or six fatalities. Statistically it’s safer than horse riding.
‘This balloon was a racing balloon. He built a racing balloon which is actually more like a rugby ball shape which means you can descend and ascend quicker than a normal balloon.’
It comes after onlookers who watched the tragedy unfold revealed they could not get through when calling 999.
Witnesses described seeing a ‘fireball’ and hearing screaming coming from the balloon which ‘went up like tissue paper’ in just seconds.
Emergency services were called at 6.20am but the man, aged in his 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene close to the upmarket village of Ombersley, Worcestershire.
The site is also near Grade I listed Ombersley Court, a 300-year-old mansion.
The tragedy happened on the same weekend as the first Worcester Balloon Festival, although the downed craft was not connected to the event.
One witness said: ‘There were lots of balloons in the sky because it was clear and sunny despite being so early.
‘Suddenly there was a flash and what looked like a fireball coming from a blue balloon and it just dropped like a stone. My wife heard terrible screaming and then silence.
‘We called the emergency services but had difficulty getting through on the 999 number because it was down.
Peter Gregory died in a horrifying incident that saw his hot air balloon burst into a fireball
‘We finally got through but it was just too high for anyone to survive. It was a terrible thing to see.’
Another witness was driving along the A449 from Kidderminster to Worcester when he saw the balloon explode.
He said: ‘I told my partner to take a picture because the balloons looked lovely. Seconds later one of them burst into flames and plummeted to the ground.
‘Once it caught fire it went up like tissue paper, it was burnt in about ten seconds. We couldn’t believe it. We thought from that height there would definitely be a fatality. It fell like a rocket and shook us up to watch.’
Emergency services across the country suffered a technical fault on Saturday morning, leading to delays in answering 999 calls.
The crash has been reported to the Air Accident Investigation Branch, which had a team on site that afternoon.
Hundreds of spectators had enjoyed the balloon festival at Worcester racecourse. The event was postponed last month due to bad weather and rearranged for Friday and Saturday.
An event spokesman said the balloon which crashed was independent and not connected to the festival, which finished on Saturday night.
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