A BRITISH pilot leading a group of tourists on a hot-air balloon safari over the Masai Mara national game reserve in Kenya was killed yesterday when the aircraft he was travelling in crashed shortly after take-off.
Chris Marshall, 60, an experienced pilot who had competed in several hot-air balloon world championships, died at the scene. A Belgian woman, one of 12 tourists who had paid to watch the park’s wildlife from the air, was also killed.
The other passengers, eight Canadians and three Belgians, were flown to hospital in Nairobi, where they were reported to be in a stable condition.
Jaspher Ombati, a spokesman for the national police force, said that the balloon had crashed about 6.30am in a remote area. of the Mara The cause of the crash was still under investigation.
Witnesses said that the balloon’s burner appeared to have failed soon after the aircraft had taken off. However, the Kenya Tourist Board blamed the crash on climatic conditions at the time.
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Jake Grieves-Cook, chairman of the tourist board, said: “Reports from the scene indicate that a freak windy condition caused the accident.”
Balloon safaris have become a major attraction for wealthy tourists eager to view the animals grazing and hunting in the Masai Mara and adjoining Serengeti reserves. During the annual wildebeest and zebra migration — considered one of the wonders of the natural world — the Masai Mara has the highest concentration of game anywhere in the world.
The hour-long flights culminate in a champagne breakfast in the bush.
Mr Grieves-Cook said that the balloon rides were considered safer than regular flights. In a statement, he added that Balloon Safaris Ltd, the organisation that arranged the ill-fated trip, had flown more than 100,000 tourists over the Masai Mara reserve since 1976 without incident.
The company’s management was not available for comment last night.
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Mr Marshall, who is believed to have lived in Kenya since the Eighties, was a “swing” pilot who made irregular flights for the company whenever he had the time.
He had piloted balloons on five continents and had clocked up more than 370 hours of flying time. Since 1993, he had also represented Kenya at the hot-air balloon world championships.
Lately he had been working with the Ecotourism Society of Kenya to help promote sustainable tourism, especially in the Masai Mara.
Judy Gona, an executive officer at the society who had known Mr Marshall for three years, said: “Chris was a very forthright man who would speak his mind about things.
“I will remember him as a really nice person.”
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For Alan Root, the founder and chairman of Balloon Safaris Ltd, the incident was the second disaster to happen in a month.
His former wife Joan, a prominent environmentalist who had helped him to pioneer ballooning on the continent when they were working as film-makers, was murdered last month at her home in Naivasha, about 55 miles (88.5km) from Nairobi.