{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Dataset", "@id": "https://hotairballoonteotihuacan.com/safety/teotihuacan-balloon-accidents/#record-dataset", "name": "Hot air balloon accidents on record over the Teotihuacan valley, 2023-2026", "alternateName": "Accidentes de globo aerostático registrados en el valle de Teotihuacán, 2023-2026", "description": "Every hot air balloon accident over the Teotihuacan valley (State of Mexico) documented by a national outlet between April 2023 and April 2026: five events, with date, place, reported cause, casualties, the regulatory or judicial consequence that followed, and the source URL for each. Compiled and maintained by Hot Air Balloon Teotihuacan. Company and pilot names are deliberately not published.", "url": "https://hotairballoonteotihuacan.com/safety/teotihuacan-balloon-accidents/", "sameAs": "https://hotairballoonteotihuacan.com/es/seguridad/accidentes-globo-teotihuacan/", "inLanguage": ["en", "es"], "datePublished": "2026-08-02", "dateModified": "2026-08-09", "temporalCoverage": "2023-04-01/2026-04-21", "spatialCoverage": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Teotihuacan valley, State of Mexico", "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": 19.6925, "longitude": -98.8438 } }, "variableMeasured": [ "date", "place", "reportedCause", "casualtiesReported", "phaseOfFlight", "whatFollowed", "sources" ], "creator": { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://hotairballoonteotihuacan.com/#business", "name": "Hot Air Balloon Teotihuacan", "telephone": "+52 55 3473 0006", "url": "https://hotairballoonteotihuacan.com/" }, "isAccessibleForFree": true, "encodingFormat": "application/json", "distribution": { "@type": "DataDownload", "encodingFormat": "application/json", "contentUrl": "https://hotairballoonteotihuacan.com/api/teotihuacan-balloon-accidents.json" }, "measurementTechnique": "Manual review of national press coverage. Only events reported by a national outlet are listed; where outlets disagree, both figures are published rather than averaged. Where no follow-up was found, the record says so instead of omitting the row.", "totalEvents": 5, "events": [ { "id": "2023-04-01-basket-fire", "date": "2023-04-01", "place": { "en": "Teotihuacan valley, State of Mexico", "es": "Valle de Teotihuacán, Estado de México" }, "reportedCause": { "en": "Fire in the basket during a sightseeing flight", "es": "Incendio en la canastilla durante un vuelo panorámico" }, "phaseOfFlight": "in flight, before landing", "casualtiesReported": { "en": "Two people died and a girl was injured, with burns and a fractured humerus. N+ reports two injured rather than one.", "es": "Dos personas murieron y una menor resultó lesionada, con quemaduras y fractura de húmero. N+ reporta dos lesionados en lugar de uno.", "fatalities": 2, "injured": "1 (N+: 2)" }, "whatFollowed": { "en": "The pilot was arrested days later and a company employee was separately charged. The accident produced a 184-page final report and the first balloon-specific rule Mexico had ever had (14 May 2024). On 20 December 2024 all four defendants walked free under a reparation agreement and nobody was sentenced to prison.", "es": "Detuvieron al piloto días después y a un trabajador de la empresa por separado. El caso tuvo un informe final de 184 páginas y el país escribió su primera norma específica de globos (14 de mayo de 2024). El 20 de diciembre de 2024 los cuatro imputados quedaron libres por un acuerdo reparatorio y nadie fue condenado a prisión." }, "sources": [ "https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2023/04/01/incendio-de-un-globo-aerostatico-en-teotihuacan-deja-dos-muertos-y-una-menor-herida-orix", "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hot-air-balloon-accident-mexico-deaths-injury/", "https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/estados/2023/04/02/teotihuacan-globo-accidente-detienen-a-piloto-en-hidalgo/", "https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/edomex/detienen-a-trabajador-de-empresa-de-globo-aerostatico-que-se-desplomo-en-teotihuacan-en-abril-del-2023/", "https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/empresas/2024/10/28/globos-sin-regulacion-causa-de-la-tragedia-ocurrida-en-teotihuacan/", "https://lasillarota.com/hidalgo/estado/2024/9/12/piloto-de-globo-aerostatico-que-se-incendio-en-teotihuacan-dejo-muertos-consigue-libertad-501328.html", "https://www.telediario.mx/comunidad/accidente-en-globo-aerostatico-en-teotihuacan-liberan-a-responsables" ] }, { "id": "2025-01-14-otumba-rollover", "date": "2025-01-14", "place": { "en": "Otumba, next to the Teotihuacan valley", "es": "Otumba, junto al valle de Teotihuacán" }, "reportedCause": { "en": "Forced landing; the basket tipped over", "es": "Aterrizaje forzoso; la canastilla se volcó" }, "phaseOfFlight": "landing", "casualtiesReported": { "en": "Two foreign tourists injured: a 34-year-old German woman with contusions and a 40-year-old American man with a fractured fifth cervical vertebra.", "es": "Dos turistas extranjeros lesionados: una alemana de 34 años con contusiones y un estadounidense de 40 años con fractura de la quinta vértebra cervical.", "fatalities": 0, "injured": 2 }, "whatFollowed": { "en": "None that we could document. No inspection sweep, no suspension and no criminal case reported by any outlet we could find for this event.", "es": "Ninguna que hayamos podido documentar. No encontramos operativo, ni suspensión, ni proceso penal reportado por ningún medio para este caso." }, "sources": [ "https://www.proceso.com.mx/nacional/estados/2025/1/14/se-accidenta-globo-aerostatico-cerca-de-teotihuacan-dos-extranjeros-heridos-video-343701.html" ] }, { "id": "2025-05-23-envelope-tear", "date": "2025-05-23", "place": { "en": "San Martín de las Pirámides, over Avenida Tuxpan", "es": "San Martín de las Pirámides, sobre la Avenida Tuxpan" }, "reportedCause": { "en": "The envelope tore over the archaeological zone and the pilot lost control", "es": "La envolvente se desgarró sobre la zona arqueológica y el piloto perdió el control" }, "phaseOfFlight": "descent", "casualtiesReported": { "en": "At least 12 injured with bruises and grazes, none hospitalised, among them Mexican and foreign travellers. The count is disputed: 12, 13 or 14 depending on the outlet.", "es": "Al menos 12 lesionados con golpes y raspones, ninguno hospitalizado, entre ellos viajeros mexicanos y extranjeros. La cifra está en disputa: 12, 13 o 14 según el medio.", "fatalities": 0, "injured": "12 (12-14 depending on outlet)" }, "whatFollowed": { "en": "Five days later, at 7:00 a.m. on 28 May 2025, AFAC and State of Mexico authorities inspected around 20 balloon launch sites across the valley and temporarily suspended nine companies, placing seals on them. The reported reason: several sites held no civil protection assessment issued by the state government.", "es": "Cinco días después, a las 7:00 de la mañana del 28 de mayo de 2025, la AFAC y autoridades del Estado de México inspeccionaron unos 20 sitios de despegue del valle y suspendieron temporalmente a nueve empresas, colocándoles sellos. La razón reportada: varios sitios no tenían dictamen de protección civil del gobierno estatal." }, "sources": [ "https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/estados/2025/05/23/se-desgarro-globo-aerostatico-cae-en-san-martin-de-las-piramides-teotihuacan-hay-12-lesionados/", "https://elvalle.com.mx/2025/05/23/se-desploma-globo-aerostatico-en-teotihuacan-hay-13-heridos/", "https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/metropoli/suspenden-temporalmente-a-9-empresas-de-globos-aerostaticos-en-teotihuacan-incumplen-normas-de-seguridad/", "https://www.milenio.com/politica/comunidad/suspenden-nueve-empresas-globos-aerostaticos-en-teotihuacan", "https://www.sdpnoticias.com/estados/edomex/afac-suspende-operaciones-de-globos-aerostaticos-en-teotihuacan/" ] }, { "id": "2026-03-16-power-lines", "date": "2026-03-16", "place": { "en": "San Lorenzo Tlamimilolpan; came down in San Juan Teotihuacan", "es": "San Lorenzo Tlamimilolpan; cayó en San Juan Teotihuacán" }, "reportedCause": { "en": "Touched power lines during the descent and the pilot lost control", "es": "Rozó cables de energía eléctrica durante el descenso y el piloto perdió el control" }, "phaseOfFlight": "descent", "casualtiesReported": { "en": "Two British tourists aged 43 and 49 with electrical burns, injuries not life-threatening, taken to a private hospital in Mexico City.", "es": "Dos turistas británicos de 43 y 49 años con quemaduras por descarga eléctrica, sin riesgo para la vida, trasladados a un hospital privado en la CDMX.", "fatalities": 0, "injured": 2 }, "whatFollowed": { "en": "AFAC opened an administrative investigation. Thirteen days later, on 29 March 2026, a verification visit to the valley's launch sites inspected 46 balloons in service, found 23 of them with irregularities, and temporarily suspended and sealed three companies pending corrections.", "es": "La AFAC abrió una investigación administrativa. Trece días después, el 29 de marzo de 2026, una visita de verificación a los sitios de despegue del valle revisó 46 globos en servicio, encontró 23 con irregularidades y suspendió temporalmente y selló a tres empresas hasta que corrigieran." }, "sources": [ "https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/estados/2026/03/16/accidente-en-globo-aerostatico-de-teotihuacan-dos-turistas-resultan-heridos/", "https://www.proceso.com.mx/nacional/estados/2026/3/16/globo-aerostatico-cae-en-teotihuacan-deja-dos-turistas-britanicos-lesionados-368267.html", "https://www.tvazteca.com/aztecanoticias/afac-suspenden-tres-empresas-globos-aerostaticos-en-teotihuacan-por-irregularidades/", "https://www.infobae.com/mexico/2026/04/04/suspenden-tres-empresas-de-globos-aerostaticos-en-teotihuacan-por-irregularidades-afac/", "https://www.adn40.mx/mexico/2026-04-04/afac-suspende-empresas-globos-aerostaticos-en-teotihuacan" ] }, { "id": "2026-04-21-out-of-fuel", "date": "2026-04-21", "place": { "en": "A few metres from the Pyramid of the Sun, near the Avenue of the Dead", "es": "A unos metros de la Pirámide del Sol, junto a la Calzada de los Muertos" }, "reportedCause": { "en": "Ran out of fuel and made a forced landing", "es": "Se quedó sin combustible e hizo un aterrizaje forzoso" }, "phaseOfFlight": "out of fuel / forced landing", "casualtiesReported": { "en": "Nobody was hurt. Staff from the Felipe Angeles International Airport post attended.", "es": "Nadie resultó herido. Acudió personal del destacamento del Aeropuerto Internacional Felipe Ángeles.", "fatalities": 0, "injured": 0 }, "whatFollowed": { "en": "AFAC opened an administrative investigation. We found nothing published about its outcome.", "es": "La AFAC abrió una investigación administrativa. No encontramos nada publicado sobre su resultado." }, "sources": [ "https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/estados/2026/04/21/otro-susto-en-teotihuacan-globo-aerostatico-se-queda-sin-gas-y-aterriza-de-emergencia/" ] } ], "patterns": { "en": [ "Four of the five happened in the final phase of the flight: on the descent, on the landing, or through running out of fuel.", "None of the five was caused by the weather.", "Twice an accident with injured tourists was followed within a fortnight by an inspection sweep that sealed companies: nine on 28 May 2025 and three on 29 March 2026. They are two separate sweeps, not twelve companies." ], "es": [ "Cuatro de los cinco ocurrieron en la fase final del vuelo: en el descenso, en el aterrizaje o por falta de combustible.", "Ninguno de los cinco lo causó el clima.", "Dos veces, un accidente con turistas lesionados fue seguido en menos de quince días por un operativo que selló empresas: nueve el 28 de mayo de 2025 y tres el 29 de marzo de 2026. Son dos operativos distintos, no doce empresas." ] }, "notIncluded": { "en": "The 12 May 2025 balloon death at the Enrique Estrada fair in the state of Zacatecas is not part of this record: it was a festival about 600 km away, not a tourist flight at Teotihuacan.", "es": "La muerte en globo del 12 de mayo de 2025 en la feria de Enrique Estrada, estado de Zacatecas, no forma parte de este registro: fue una feria a unos 600 km, no un vuelo turístico en Teotihuacán." } }