A Canberra photographer captured what appeared to be an Australian airforce balloon's close shave with rowers on Lake Burley Griffin on Wednesday morning - a possible sign there was simply too much hot air in Canberra after two days of political turmoil.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But the Department of Defence has been quick to point out the sinking balloon was a risk-aversion exercise ahead of the Canberra Balloon Festival in March.
Just as Coalition frontbenches were hitting the airwaves in droves, Canberra's early bird snappers caught the RAAF balloon as it fell, avoiding a collision with rowing crews and boats.
Kingston resident Frank Jackson, who captured the event on camera, thought an on water rescue was narrowly avoided.
"I live in one of those newer blocks literally right on the water so ... I see the balloons come over every morning.
"[I saw] the basket literally touched the water and you can make out the water dripping off the basket. I had a camera relatively handy so I snapped away," he said.
Mr Jackson said it was a first in his years in Canberra.
"Occasionally they will come quite low over the water but that is the first time I have seen one touch the water.
Mr Jackson confirmed the balloon came very close to passing rowers.
"They were eye level with the rowers for a minute or two," he said.
Luckily for the balloon's pilot and their mate, the action on the hill had not completely swamped the capital.
"They then gathered height and off it sailed with out any further issues for them but they got very close to getting some damp feet," Mr Jackson said.
A Defence spokeswoman was quick to connect the close shave with a safety component of recertification training ahead of the Canberra Balloon Festival in March.
She said the angle of the photo made the balloon appear to fall much closer to the rowers, who were not in danger throughout the landing exercise.
"Although some photographs depict the balloon in close proximity to rowers on the lake, the pilots conducted a controlled low-level pass of the rowers, before undertaking a controlled descent to perform their required landing approach," she said.
"Landing approaches are a CASA [Civil Aviation Safety Authority] safety requirement which RAAF balloon pilots need to undertake on a regular basis.
"The rowers were not at risk. The weather conditions were ideal for balloon flying with low winds and clear skies."
Hot air balloons rise when the air inside is warmer and less dense than the cooler air outside it.
Update: An earlier version of the story said the balloon nearly crashed. Defence has since confirmed the landing was part of routine training.
