Elvis de Bem Crescencio said he tried to put out fire with his foot, that the extinguisher did not work and guided passengers to jump out of the basket as soon as the soil touched; balloon then gained altitude and who could not leave died
Elvis de Bem Crescencio, a balloon pilot that caught fire and in Praia Grande (SC), said the extinguisher did not work during the accident that left 8 dead on Saturday (21.jun.2025). He said in a statement to the Santa Catarina Civil Police that he noticed the fire on one of the gas cylinders 2 minutes after the start of the flight.
Crescencio said that after noticing the beginning of the fire, he tried to put out the flames with his foot. When this did not work, he reported using the extinguisher who was in the balloon, but he would not have worked. The images were obtained by “Fantastic”as well TV Globo.
“There, with something about 2 minutes of flight, I smell burned inside the basket and when I look down the cover of the gas tank had the beginning of a fire. I started with my foot trying to put out the fire and couldn’t. these.
Balloon could carry up to 1,950 kg
In testimony, the pilot said the flight conditions on Saturday were good. He mentioned that there were about 50 other balloons on the day. The model used by the trip was able to carry up to 1,950 kg. The company after the accident.
“It’s a balloon that raises up to 1,950 kg. It has a tremendous force. I understood that you could take off. Everyone took off, there was around 45 to 50 balloons [na região]”He said. There were 21 people at the balloon –13 survived.
Elvis de Bem Crescencio also said he was about 3 and a half years old and has over 700 hours of flight. The pilot was qualified by the (National Civil Aviation Agency) to pilot free balloon.
Balloon jump
Like the Poder360the pilot performed a maneuver for the balloon to decrease the altitude and reach near the ground. Thus, he guided the passengers to jump from the basket. To the police, he stated that at that moment “There was no command”. He and 12 others jumped from the balloon.
“When the balloon landed on the floor I told the people to jump. I no longer had command, I jumped too and a crowd jumped too. What happened was that the balloon ended up taking off with these people who could not jump out of the basket. It was horrible”He said.
With an abrupt decrease in weight, the balloon rose rapidly, still with 8 people inside the basket. According to investigations, 4 people jumped from the basket at a height of 150 meters. Another 4, who were in the basket, died charred. According to police, the episode lasted just over 4 minutes.
Victim assistance
Still in the testimony displayed by “Fantastic”Elvis de Bem Crescencio said he spent 2 hours at the scene of the accident after the fall. The pilot told police that he was the one who called the authorities – an inclusive to the IML (Forensic Medical Institute) to deal with the bodies of the victims.
Of the survivors, 5 of them were treated in hospitals in the region – 3 of them with muscle pain resulting from the moment they left the basket and 2 of them with 2nd degree burns. .
