The British military court met the request of state prosecutors Monday to postpone the start of the trial by one day to Tuesday, military sources said.

Isobel Callaghan, the daughter of a soldier stationed with British troops in western Germany, was attending a community festival in June 2003 at a NATO base near Moenchengladbach when a sudden squall hit.

Her feet became tangled in ropes mooring the balloon when the 100-kilometer/hour (60-mile/hour) winds lifted both into the air.

The balloon finally landed 70 kilometers away and the girl's body was found nearby by German police.

Six others at the festival, which drew some 3,000 people, were injured in the storm, which whipped up suddenly on a hot summer day.

Lance Bombardier Stephen Richard Armstrong, 32, could face charges of manslaughter or negligently performing a duty during the court martial, which military sources said was likely to last about three weeks.

Captain Angus William Newby-Grant, 34, may be charged with negligently performing a duty.

Armstrong was guarding the balloon the day of the accident while Newby-Grant was his acting superior.

The prosecution had asked for the delay Monday because a key technical report had not yet arrived.

At Monday's brief hearing, the court discussed whether the girl's mother should testify.

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