Russian balloonist Fedor Konyukhov, who launched from western Australia on July 12 in an attempt to beat Steve Fossett’s time for the only prior round-the-world solo balloon flight, already has faced weather challenges and equipment failures as he reaches the halfway point of his journey. As he crossed the southern Pacific at night, Konyukhov encountered snow, ice and turbulence, which shook the propane tanks suspended from the gondola so violently that some of them had to be jettisoned.
Source: avwebRound-The-World Balloonist Reaches Atlantic