New safety recommendations have been published following a balloon crash near Silsden last year in which 12 people were injured.

A report into the accident, in which the 90ft balloon was dragged 100 yards across Silsden Moor, recommends the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) introduce a series of measures. The recommendations by the Air Accident Investigation Branch include:

making it compulsory for passengers to wear protective head gear

for ground crew to have first-aid qualifications.

The report also highlights the fact that the 42-year-old pilot of the balloon was relatively inexperienced at landing balloons of this size.

The balloon was owned by Blackburn-based Pendle Balloon Company and had set off from Ribchester near Preston. It crashed at Cringles when, on the pilot's third attempt to land, the basket hit a raised stone track, causing it to rotate and throw six passengers forward out of the basket. Two of them were thrown clear, another with his six-year-old son slid along the surface until they were pushed clear. A further passenger became entangled in the balloon's control lines and was dragged behind the balloon for about 160 metres, causing a broken hand and concussion.

The report concludes that an earlier decision to land might have been more prudent.

The report recommends stricter rules governing balloon pilots when they upgrade their licenses to fly bigger balloons, and suggests the CAA should consider whether balloon operators should be made to draw up written disaster management plans and provide better first-aid training.

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