Advertisement

French daredevil plunges to his death from balloon

The Local France
The Local France - [email protected]
French daredevil plunges to his death from balloon
The Frenchman was known for performing the stunt in the image above. Photo: YouTube Screenshot

A French daredevil died when a mid-air acrobatic stunt went tragically wrong and he fell to his death from a hot air balloon, his colleagues revealed.

Advertisement

Tancrède Melet, 32, died on Tuesday after falling 30 metres from a hot air balloon in the Drôme region.
 
It is understood that he was taking part in an art project at the time. 
 
His group - the Flying Frenchies - has turned heads in the past for attaching a tightrope between two hot air balloons and crossing between the two baskets in mid air.
 
The video below shows Melet's troupe performing the stunt in 2014.
 
 
The Flying Frenchies posted a tribute to Melet on Facebook, saying that the daredevil was a pioneer of extreme sports. 
 
"Tancrède Melet, who was surprisingly in love with life, surprised us by leaving us too soon," they wrote. 
 
"He leaves us with wonderful memories, a taste of freedom and a head full of dreams."
 
Hundreds of commentors shared their tributes too, many pointing out that the Frenchman had died doing what he loved. 
 
 
 
The father of two is understood to have joined the group after quitting his job as an engineer four years ago. 
 
Melet - a base-jumper, wing-suit flyer, and slack-line walker - has proven popular in the online community in the past. 
 
The video below has over 1 million hits. 
 
He leaves behind him a wife and young daughter. 
 
 
Melet performs on a cable way in front of the Mont Blanc mountain. Photo: AFP

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also