Balloon pilot rises above technical hitch to set world record

When David Hempleman-Adams took his balloon soaring to more than 30,000 feet he thought he had set a world record.

But when he descended, jubilant, he was told that his six-mile-high flight could not be an official altitude record because his black box recorder had failed in the cold.

So the explorer almost immediately mounted a secret second trip, risking death in temperatures as low as minus 60C to secure his place in the record books by officially reaching a height of 32,400 feet.

This time the black box recorder survived the temperature drop in the open basket.

Today he told of his relief.

Mr Hempleman-Adams said: "I was so excited that we had broken the record and then we discovered that there was nothing on the black box to download. I think it was the first time in my adult life when I could have burst out crying."

Speaking from Calgary, Canada, Mr Hempleman-Adams said he had learned from mistakes on his first flight when he took to the air again on Sunday.

He said: "It was a fantastic flight. Having just done it, I made some adjustments, took a bit more fuel and had a much better landing. This time we put in two of the sealed boxes for the official observer and found a way of keeping them warmer. One still did not work but the other one, thankfully, is fine."

Mr Hempleman-Adams, 50, who has climbed Everest, trekked to both poles and was the first man to balloon across the Atlantic in an open wicker basket, is a businessman who treats adventure as a holiday.

He said: "I don't need to make money out of expeditions, it is something I do for fun and if there is any money left from sponsorship it goes to my charity."

But he accepts that his "holidays" could cost him his life. He said: "I have three children but, by definition, to do what I do you have to be selfish. Going on our expeditions, it's your own decision to put yourself at risk."