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To the potential risk to which an Avianca plane was exposed, which on the night of December 31 had an incident with a balloon while making the approach maneuver to the north runway of the El Dorado airport in Bogotá, It was followed by a pulse between aeronautical authorities and the sector of fireworks producers.
At about 8:15 pm on Thursday, the aircraft, coming from outside, had an impact on the approach, when the wings and one of the engines became entangled with the structure and contents of a hot air balloon.
Initial versions indicated that it would have been a pyrotechnic balloon, which were handled and sustained by the Civil Aeronautics (Aerocivil), which initiated an investigation of the case. But the National Federation of Pyrotechnics (Fenalpi) clarified that it was, in fact, a hot air balloon.
(Also read: A hot air balloon got entangled in Avianca plane in El Dorado)
However, Aerocivil sources reiterated that the information contained in the statement is the official and that, as the sector authority, the entity will be the one that will technically establish the details of the event.
Initially, the entity gave a report according to which the Airbus A319 aircraft, registration N557AV, of the Avianca company, which covered the Orlando-Bogotá route, was hit by a pyrotechnic balloon.
“No passenger was at risk or was affected in the incident and the aircraft was immediately checked on its condition, and remains of said object were verified. The incident is investigated by the personnel of the Civil Aeronautics Accident Investigation Group”, Added the entity.
(It may interest you: Investigation of Avianca plane with balloon incident begins)
For its part, Avianca Holdings specified that the flight landed at 20:09 local time, with all its passengers and crew in perfect condition and was towed at 8:59 p.m., after an inspection by firefighters in which no news was reported .
“Passengers who had connections to other destinations were able to do so without any inconvenience”, Said the company, calling on citizens to refrain from burning these types of balloons, which are prohibited by the authorities.
Strong pulse
And although sources consulted told EL TIEMPO that a tragedy could have occurred if it had entered the plane’s engines, the president of Fenalpi, Carlos Carvajal, stressed that, due to the dimensions, structure and design of the elements that were entangled It was a hot air balloon without passengers, with a diameter of approximately 15 meters.
By specifying that the pyrotechnic balloons are one meter in diameter, Carvajal pointed out that the responsibility of the fact should not be placed on the fireworks, much less stigmatized, since the union in charge of it works so that the activity is carried out in a responsible way and is in charge of professionals.
(Also: Video: Moments of panic due to explosion of balloon with gunpowder in Bello)
And he added that while a pyrotechnic balloon normally costs about 12,000 pesos, a hot air balloon of the characteristics of the one that was entangled with the Avianca plane can be between 10 and 15 million pesos.
Both Aerocivil and the airline made an energetic call for responsibility to citizens by Remember that the manipulation of any device such as balloons, drones and / or kites is totally prohibited in the vicinity or vicinity of airports, since these can put air safety and human lives at risk.
TIME