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THIS is the horrifying moment a hot air balloon crashed into powerlines and killed all three on board.
The balloon was left ripped to shreds before the basket burst into flames over Georgia.
It was virtually destroyed in seconds as it hit a set of high voltage power lines after it failed to reach a certain height to safely pass the lines.
An unconfirmed report said the pilots were going to attempt to break a world record for the longest flight in a hot air balloon but the crash happened on one of the practise runs.
The two pilots on board had struggled with the high winds throughout the flight as it appeared to be tricky to navigate as it even touched the ground when flying over a field.
The balloon was also seen by onlookers getting blown wildly out of control and swaying all over the place before the tragic crash near the village of Asureti in eastern Georgia.
Part of the burning balloon quickly dropped to the ground as the rest sat smoking and ablaze on the power line.
Popular Imedi TV cameraman Misha Bidzinashvili was one of the people on board when the tragic crash happened.
Imedi TV changed its programme schedule to honour the man.
Another was experienced pilot Revaz Uturgauri, the founder of Sky Travel and president of the Georgian National Aeronautics Federation.
Uturgauri wrote on his social media before the flight: “We are flying across all of Georgia from the Black Sea to the border with Azerbaijan.
“The distance is not very long – about 400 km. But the flight is difficult, as it passes mainly over the mountains.”
The third man was Polish pilot Krzysztof Zapart, according to local reports.
The balloon took off on Wednesday morning from the stadium in Poti in the west of Georgia and fly to Kakheti in the east.
Georgian police opened up an investigation into the deaths as they look into a suspected violation of basic safety rules during the flight.
This was the first hot air balloon accident in Georgia in nearly two decades.
“The crash raises questions about the circumstances leading to the loss of control, despite experienced pilots being at the helm,” said one report.