Balloon hits plane in refueling and almost causes tragedy

A balloon fell this Sunday (14) on a plane parked at Santos Dumont Airport, located in the central region of the city of Rio de Janeiro. The plane was on fuel. Then, the balloon slipped onto the runway and caught fire, which was controlled by employees of the airport unit itself. At Santos Dumont, they did not provide information and directed the report to the Brazilian Airport Infrastructure Company (Infraero). Contacted by Agência Brasil, Infraero, which manages Santos Dumont Airport, informed that “e-mails with press demands are answered on business days, from Monday to Friday, from 8 am to 7 pm”. Campaign The Military Fire Brigade of the State of Rio de Janeiro (CBMERJ) was not called, but regretted what had happened. On the last April 26th, the corporation launched the “Balloon kills” campaign, with the objective of showing the population the consequences of this practice, in posts on its social networks, with real videos. The initiative is in partnership with the Civil Police State Secretariat, through the Environmental Protection Police Station (DPMA), which will intensify investigations related to criminal activity, especially with the proximity of the June festivities. Colonel Leandro Monteiro, Secretary of State for Civil Defense and General Commander of the CBMERJ, pointed out, at the time, that “releasing balloons has always been a crime”. He admitted, on the other hand, that currently, social networks end up enhancing these activities that can result in real tragedies. Monteiro recalled that recently, a balloon fell at the Guandu Water Treatment Station and could have left the entire metropolitan region without water. “In January of this year, in the middle of summer, another balloon fell on Leme beach, which was crowded, and could have caused a real disaster. It is important for the public to be aware. This is a fight for all of us! Dropping balloons is not cool, it is not instagrammable. It is a crime!”, said the secretary. According to data from the Center for Research and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), around 100,000 balloons are released each year in the country. The state of Rio de Janeiro is among the leaders in sightings of unmanned hot air balloons, reported the CBMERJ.

Agência Brasil