Tragic flight over Zielona Góra. The Polish champion died

On Monday morning, a dramatic accident involving a hot air balloon took place in the center of Zielona Góra. There were three people in the basket. At one point, the balloon hit one of the tall buildings and then fell to the ground.

Two people managed to get out of the basket on their own. Unfortunately, the third person died on the spot.

– The balloon hit the roof of a tall building, then fell two streets away – senior captain Piotr Kowalski from the Municipal Headquarters of the State Fire Service in Zielona Góra told polsatnews.pl.

Jagoda Gancarek, pilot and Polish champion, has died

As a result of the accident, 28-year-old Jagoda Gancarek, a pilot associated with the Aero Club of the Lubusz Land, died. The woman fell from the basket of the balloon onto the roof of an approximately 33-meter high skyscraper.

After the rescuers arrived, it was quickly determined that she was unconscious – a rescue operation was immediately initiated, but despite the efforts of the services, she could not be saved. Gancarek was very well known in the aviation community. In 2025, she won the title of Polish champion in balloon flights.

Passion for flying. She extinguished fires from the air

Jagoda Gancarek came from Małopolska. She was born and raised in the village of Jamna in the Tarnów district, in the Zakliczyn commune.

Aviation was her passion from an early age. She started gliding training as a teenager. At the age of 18, she decided to pursue aviation and became involved in activities related to extinguishing fires from the air.

She has worked at the Aero Club of the Lubusz Land since 2022. She took part in firefighting operations, piloting planes used to fight forest fires. This task requires enormous experience and precision. Firefighting planes often fly just a few meters above the treetops to drop water in the right place.

– During one of last year’s fires, we had to wait first for the power supply to be cut off on this (high voltage) line, and then be extra careful not to hit the wires in the smoke and heat, recalled Jagoda Gancarek, quoted by tokfm.pl. Over time, the pilot became more and more involved in flying balloons. As she explained on the Meritano blog, flying without an engine gives her greater peace and a sense of control over the situation.

During the Polish Women’s Balloon Championships in Nałęczów in 2025, she turned out to be the best among the competing competitors.

A moving farewell to the Aero Club

After the tragedy, a message from the Aero Club of the Lubuskie Region appeared on social media, saying goodbye to its pilot.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the tragic death of our friend, Jagoda Gancarek, a pilot of the Lubusz Land Aero Club. Jagoda pursued her passions as an airplane instructor. She also flew as a pilot of firefighting planes. She had extensive aviation experience and shared this experience with others. Last year, Jagoda won the title of Polish Women’s Champion at the 11th Women’s Balloon Championship in Nałęczów – we will remember her for her passion and kindness, and above all for her broad smile and her love for flying. Her commitment and aviation enthusiasm also fueled our activities. Our thoughts are with her family, friends and all members of the Lubusz Land Aero Club,” we read in the post posted on Instagram.