Public record ·
Two accidents over this valley reached national news: a basket fire on 1 April 2023 and a power-line strike on landing on 16 March 2026. Below is one row per event with the reported cause, the casualties and a link to the outlet that published it. No company names and no guesses about who was flying.
Public record · sources linked
Only what a tier-one outlet published. Every figure links to its source. We do not repeat numbers we cannot source, and we do not publish the names of the companies or the pilots involved.
Swipe the table sideways on a phone. Last checked August 2026.
| Date | Place | Reported cause | Casualties reported | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 April 2023 | Teotihuacán valley, State of Mexico | Fire in flight | Two people died; a girl was injured | CNN en Español · CBS News |
| 16 March 2026 | Teotihuacán, State of Mexico | Struck power lines while landing | Two British tourists burned; injuries not life-threatening. AFAC opened an administrative investigation | El Financiero · Proceso |
Found a third event we have not listed? Send us the outlet that published it and we will add the row. We would rather carry an uncomfortable line than an incomplete record.
Read the Mexican coverage of that week and one phrase repeats. It is not the activity. It is who is selling it.
The problem described again and again was unauthorised operators selling flights to tourists. That is a different sentence from “ballooning is dangerous”, and the difference matters to you, because one of the two is inside your control.
In the days after the 2023 accident, N+ published the list of documents a passenger should demand before boarding. That list is reproduced, item by item, on our safety page, and turned into a side-by-side sheet on how to compare operators.
You cannot audit an aircraft from your phone. You can check paperwork, and paperwork is exactly what was missing in the reporting.
This table is the short version. The full seven-document check lives on the safety page.
| Ask any operator for | What a legal answer looks like | What to do if you do not get it |
|---|---|---|
| The AFAC air-operator authorisation | A document number you can read, with a validity date | Walk away. This is the one that is not negotiable |
| The aircraft registration | A Mexican registration marking, XB-something, painted on the envelope | Ask to see the balloon before you pay |
| The pilot's licence | Licence class and number, issued by AFAC | Book with someone who will show it |
| Passenger insurance | A policy with an insured sum, not the word “insured” | Assume there is none |
| Who actually flies you | The name of the operating company, not the reseller | If the seller will not name the operator, that is your answer |
Send us the seven questions before you send us a peso. AFAC-certified pilots, passenger insurance in all seven packages, a free reschedule if the morning is not safe, and rides from $2,100 MXN. Book online or message our English-speaking team.
Mon–Sun, 5:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Sunrise flights,
subject to weather conditions.