The woman who died in a hot air balloon accident has been named as a champion pilot.
Jagoda Gancarek and two other women were on board when the balloon struck a block of flats at around 8am on Monday (9 Mar).
Jagoda, 28, fell onto the high-rise’s roof. When paramedics arrived by helicopter, she was found unconscious. Despite resuscitation efforts, she could not be saved.
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The other two women managed an emergency landing and climbed out of the gondola on their own in Zielona Góra, Poland.
The collision occurred about an hour and a half after the non-commercial flight took off from the Lubuskie Region Aero Club in nearby Przylep.
Footage shows the gondola lying on a road next to a bus, with the torn balloon tangled in tree branches above.
A flight instructor, Jagoda was deeply passionate about aviation, as reported by Need To Know.
In an interview last September, she said: “Flying itself is wonderful. In a glider, there’s silence and calm – you’re left alone with your thoughts. It’s an incredible feeling.”
She also piloted firefighting aircraft.
“The adrenaline is there, of course, but above all, you just focus on getting things done,” she added.
In 2025, Jagoda was crowned Polish Women’s Champion at the 11th Women’s Ballooning Championships in Nałęczów.
She had only earned her balloon pilot licence earlier that year.
Originally from Jamna, Jagoda studied at a music school but ultimately her love of flying won out.
She completed a degree in mechanics and machine construction with a specialisation in aeroplane piloting in Chełm before moving to Zielona Góra during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She completed her pilot training at the Lubuskie Region Aero Club in 2022 and went on to work there.
The club, which acquired the Czech-made balloon involved in the accident last May, said: “We will remember Jagoda as a warm and always smiling person, full of passion and a love for flying.”
The Regional Directorate of State Forests in Zielona Góra added: “From above, Jagoda Gancarek watched over our forests – with care and responsibility, helping to protect them from fires.”
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