Vic balloon crash passengers 'confused'

Passengers injured when a hot air balloon was forced to make an emergency landing in Victoria did not receive an effective safety briefing, a report has found.

The scenic flight, operated by Go Wild Ballooning, encountered an unexpected wind change on February 8 when over the Yarra Valley.

The balloon made a "hard and fast" landing near Yarra Glen which injured 11 passengers, including four who had serious spine-related injuries. Three were hospitalised.

Some of the 15 passengers initially appeared confused over the correct position to adopt during the emergency landing, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said in its report published on Tuesday.

Not being in the correct position when the balloon hit the ground probably contributed to the severity of some injuries, investigators found.

While some passengers received a safety briefing before boarding the balloon, it was "not effective" in ensuring all passengers understood the position to adopt during an emergency landing.

Two passengers did not speak English and the normal post-boarding briefing was not conducted.

"There are some important safety lessons from this accident," ATSB executive director of transport safety Patrick Hornby said.

"It is good practice to ensure that all passengers know what they need to do after they have boarded the basket, including what they need to do in an emergency situation. Passengers need reminders."

Information about the sudden wind change was not available to the pilot before the flight, with the most recent local balloon forecast "inadvertently" not provided, the ATSB said.

The Bureau of Meteorology has updated its systems following the accident to ensure pilots have access to the best information.

The balloon operator has introduced new procedures which mean passengers must demonstrate the emergency landing position after boarding the aircraft.