27-Year-Old Woman Tragically Dies During Romantic Trip with Husband
An aerial excursion in Brazil which took scenery-seekers inside a hot air balloon turned into a disaster after air mishap resulting in a fatal crash that saw dozens of passengers die. This has led to criminal investigation and the issue of flight safety regulation has caused concerns.
Juliana Alves Prado Pereira was a 27-year-old psychologist, who lived in the city of Pouso Alegre, in Minas Gerais, but died in a hot air balloon crash on June 15, 2025 (Sunday) in Capela do Alto, in the state of Sao Paulo.
They were on their first Valentine Day as a married couple accompanied by her husband, Leandro de Aquino Pereira. The two people were just married as stated by the family of Leandro.
This accident happened in the morning about 8 a. m. in the rural district neighborhood of Distrito do Porto, near the Vereador Geraldo Portela municipal road.
The started at Boituva, a well-known recreational ballooning center in the São Paulo state, the balloon had left earlier. It had 33 passengers, a pilot, named Fabio Salvador Pereira, and helper.
The balloon according to the Military Police landed and hit the ground harshly two times then stopped completely. According to witnesses, in these impacts, four passengers fell out of the basket.
Other 11 people received minor injuries and were hospitalized in Capela do Alto and the Sorocaba Hospital Complex (CHS) emergency rooms.
One video posted on Instagram a few hours after the accident shows the balloon flying very low, before the crash.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1445908488826367&set=a.292578810826013
Pilot Fabio was detained on the spot of the incident. He was accused of the aggravated involuntary manslaughter and unauthorized balloon operation. It was confirmed that his pilot license was valid to operate in the private aviation only and that his paperwork was out of order.
According to Fabio in his testimony, he was attempting to land the balloon in open areas as stipulated by the standard procedures. He alleged that a forceful and unforeseen blast of wind threw the descent out of course and some people leapt out of the balloon even before the encroachment of the balloon to the ground was complete.
A 27-year-old student of the University Gabrielle Rosa do Nascimento, and her fiance, Tiago Ribeiro Kempinas, 37, an engineer, were also on board. The couple had taken a flight overnight of seven hours in making the trip to Boituva, after coming in on a flight landing at Marechal Hermes in Rio de Janeiro with what was supposed to be a surprise engagement.
According to Gabrielle, she spoke with a local news outlet about how things are in Boituva being of concern. Because it was very windy in Boituva, I approached a lady, who I suppose was the receptionist of our company, and queried, are we still going to have a flight? said she,” yes.”
Gabrielle continued that they were transported to a place which had later been found out to be unlicensed where two balloons were being readied to fly.
The woman also explained that there was panic among the passengers when the woman realized that the balloon is in the air. She remembered that Juliana was already unconscious and so visibly injured that they had to make the second attempt at the descent.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1375367432536610&set=a.243424865730878That is what her husband was attempting, trying to keep her alive. At this time the pilot too was injured. We floated 15 minutes or so more, when he saw a field and we crashed, and began to be pulled along it,” said Gabrielle.
After the balloon crashed on the ground the second time, a good number of the passengers leaped out the basket out of the balloon to flee. Others who were injured included Gabrielle and Tiago. Adding, she said that what was supposed to be an auspicious occasion like an engagement, became a nightmare of life.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1787138388026177&set=a.243424865730878
Talking after the accident, the family members of Leandro were sad and asked questions of safety of the flight.
They also recalled that Juliana was a kind loving person. She was very much loved. I cannot imagine that Ju is dead. Honestly, I can not believe it. An outside trip did that to her,” Maria Ivone Aquino, the grandmother of Leandro disclosed.
JEssica Aquino Pereira, the aunt of Leandro, faulted the move to allow the balloon to fly. She so much wanted to ride on that. But in all earnestness how can they climb 33 people into a balloon in weather like this. It was dreadful weather to-day, terribly windy,–utter negligence of the people who sent them in there.”
The police have engaged in thorough investigation of the cause of the crash. Teams of forensics and Regional Aeronautical Accident Investigation and Prevention Service (Seripa) officials went to the place of the accident. Even to date, there is no official conclusion reached as to what precisely had caused the incident.
