The Belarussian military on Saturday defended the downing of two American balloonists by a helicopter gunship whose pilot said he believed the balloon was unmanned when he sprayed it with machine-gun fire.
In a statement published in Belarussian newspapers, the Defense Ministry said the balloon pilots and race organizers committed "many violations of international norms and common sense."Balloonists Alan Fraenckel, 55, and John Stuart-Jervis, 68, both of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, were killed when their hydrogen balloon was shot down over rural western Belarus on Tuesday. It plunged 11/2 miles to the forest below.
Two other American-manned balloons were forced to land in the former Soviet republic. All three balloons were taking part in an international race.
The balloon that was shot down was gray - not multicolored - and lacked identification signs, and the pilots had given Belarus no flight plans, the ministry said.
Race organizers have rejected such claims, saying Belarussian authorities were "clearly aware of the origins of the balloons." Belarus had been given specific flight plans and had granted the balloons clearance to enter Belarussian air space during the race, the organizers said.
Belarussian officials have expressed regret over the killing but stopped short of a full apology.
Belarussian authorities said the helicopter gunship opened fire from 100 yards away only after Fraenckel and Stuart-Jervis failed to respond to radio calls, visual signals and warning shots as they approached a military base.
Government investigators say the military helicopter pilot thought the balloon was unmanned.
The bodies of Fraenckel and Stuart-Jervis were flown Friday to Minsk. Officials at the U.S. Embassy in the Belarussian capital said Saturday they were waiting for an American doctor to conduct an autopsy.
The balloonists were competing in the annual Gordon Bennett gas balloon race, a contest to see which balloon can fly the farthest. The balloons took off Sept. 9 from Switzerland with no set course.
Balloonists from the ill-fated race returned to the competition's Wil, Switzerland, starting point Saturday to eulogize their two colleagues.
Race officials, fellow pilots and relatives from Austria, Germany, Poland, Switzerland and the Netherlands gathered at a small baroque chapel in this northeastern Swiss town for a memorial service.
Jack Soukap, president of the International Aeronautical Federation, said everyone involved in the Gordon Bennett Cup race felt "deep shock."
"The ballooning world has lost two of its greatest competitors," said Jack Soukap, president of the International Aeronautical Federation.