ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 59544
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| Date: | Thursday 2 November 1899 |
| Time: | 17:00 |
| Type: |  Balloon |
| Owner/operator: | Captain Charles Lorraine |
| Registration: | unregistered |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Sea off Lyttelton Harbour, Banks Peninsula, Canterbury -
 New Zealand
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Demo/Airshow/Display |
| Departure airport: | Lancaster Park, Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
David Mahoney (alias Captain Charles Lorraine) was putting on a public balloon ascent from Lancaster Park in Christchurch and intending to descend by parachute. During the launch the parachute was lost, and the balloon ascended to a considerable height and drifted out to sea. Witnesses then saw the balloon "plummet" as the balloonist activated the 'ripcord' thus opening the balloon's envelope and allowing the gas to escape. The balloon and occupant came down in the sea.
Lifeboats and a tug were dispatched but it appears that the balloonist drowned while attempting to swim to shore. This incident was the first aviation fatality in New Zealand.
Sources:
1. Evening Post - A Ballooning Tragedy
2. Evening Post - Lorraineu2019s Fatal Ascent
3. https://timespanner.blogspot.com/2012/02/tragedy-of-captain-charles-lorraine.html
4. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=TS18991104.2.78
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1899_in_New_Zealand
6. New Zealand Herald, 2 November 1999. Looking Back.
7. https://teara.govt.nz/en/air-crashes/page-3
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyttelton_Harbour
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 14-Apr-2009 05:14 | XLerate | Added |
| 08-Jun-2009 12:38 | angels one five | Updated |
| 20-Dec-2012 10:32 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 26-Jan-2014 21:10 | angels one five | Updated [Operator, Location, Narrative] |
| 19-Feb-2017 20:49 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Cn, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 16-Mar-2018 20:23 | angels one five | Updated [Narrative] |
| 13-Jul-2020 00:41 | Ron Averes | Updated [Registration] |
| 23-Jan-2022 02:58 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
| 11-Feb-2022 20:03 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
| 06-Sep-2022 14:18 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Registration, Location, Source, Category] |
| 08-Nov-2022 23:00 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
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