Narrative:

Preflight WX information , indicated that a high pressure system dominated the region, surface winds at airports within 50 NM of the launch site were reported to be less than 10 KTS and diminishing prior to flight time and forecasted winds aloft were within acceptable and safe limits for a balloon flight. The outlook was for VFR. Even though the winds were low velocity prior to flight, and a high wind landing was not expected, the preflight briefing included procedures for a high wind landing. About 10 mins into the flight another balloon was spotted northeast of us (about 3 mi and 100-200 AGL 500-600 MSL) but was traveling east to west. It is not very common in this area to have balloons going in opposite directions, and since all the pibals had gone west to east, this observation was noted and used in my in-flight planning. I was now anticipating that there would be more potential for directional variation than the pibals had indicated. A few minutes later the ground speed of my balloon increased slightly still in a west to east direction. I then looked for the other balloon to make another observation. The other balloons ground speed also seemed to be picking up but still in the east to west direction. At this point I began to plan for a potential early landing. I then changed altitude to attempt to change direction to a northwest to southeast flight path to set up for a landing in a field ahead. For a few moments the path changed to northwest to southeast. Then my balloon became becalmed. Without changing altitude my flight path changed to a south to north then within a minute or so to southeast to northwest and then to east to west then ene to wsw. Once I lined up for an approach to the field I increased my descent, to give me room to land and still drag to a stop. I anticipated traveling n-s once 10-20 AGL, but once at that level I continued ese-wsw. Upon landing the wind increased in velocity, the balloon was pushed over to its side and dragged for about 20 yds. The balloon was lifted off the ground for about 100 yds then returned to the ground and dragged another 300 yds thru the field then over a road. Across the road was a barbed-wire fence which helped to slow the balloon down but the wind was still moving the balloon towards a power line. The basket broke thru the fence. The balloon draped over the power lines, and with the speed of the wind the balloon envelope caused the power lines to short and blew the circuit breaker on the line. Neither serious injury not substantial damage resulted as a result of this WX/flight incident. The pilot discussed the incident with several meteorologists and researchers. Based upon the flight paths of the balloon of the reporting pilot and another balloon in the local flight area, a localized low pressure center probably developed in the creating a 'meso-cyclone'.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: HOT AIR BALLOON ENCOUNTERED USUAL WIND SHIFT, ATTEMPTED HIGH WIND LNDG. BALLOON DRAGGED AND CONTACTED POWER LINES.

Narrative: PREFLT WX INFO , INDICATED THAT A HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM DOMINATED THE REGION, SURFACE WINDS AT ARPTS WITHIN 50 NM OF THE LAUNCH SITE WERE REPORTED TO BE LESS THAN 10 KTS AND DIMINISHING PRIOR TO FLT TIME AND FORECASTED WINDS ALOFT WERE WITHIN ACCEPTABLE AND SAFE LIMITS FOR A BALLOON FLT. THE OUTLOOK WAS FOR VFR. EVEN THOUGH THE WINDS WERE LOW VELOCITY PRIOR TO FLT, AND A HIGH WIND LNDG WAS NOT EXPECTED, THE PREFLT BRIEFING INCLUDED PROCS FOR A HIGH WIND LNDG. ABOUT 10 MINS INTO THE FLT ANOTHER BALLOON WAS SPOTTED NE OF US (ABOUT 3 MI AND 100-200 AGL 500-600 MSL) BUT WAS TRAVELING E TO W. IT IS NOT VERY COMMON IN THIS AREA TO HAVE BALLOONS GOING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, AND SINCE ALL THE PIBALS HAD GONE W TO E, THIS OBSERVATION WAS NOTED AND USED IN MY INFLT PLANNING. I WAS NOW ANTICIPATING THAT THERE WOULD BE MORE POTENTIAL FOR DIRECTIONAL VARIATION THAN THE PIBALS HAD INDICATED. A FEW MINUTES LATER THE GND SPEED OF MY BALLOON INCREASED SLIGHTLY STILL IN A W TO E DIRECTION. I THEN LOOKED FOR THE OTHER BALLOON TO MAKE ANOTHER OBSERVATION. THE OTHER BALLOONS GND SPEED ALSO SEEMED TO BE PICKING UP BUT STILL IN THE E TO W DIRECTION. AT THIS POINT I BEGAN TO PLAN FOR A POTENTIAL EARLY LNDG. I THEN CHANGED ALT TO ATTEMPT TO CHANGE DIRECTION TO A NW TO SE FLT PATH TO SET UP FOR A LNDG IN A FIELD AHEAD. FOR A FEW MOMENTS THE PATH CHANGED TO NW TO SE. THEN MY BALLOON BECAME BECALMED. WITHOUT CHANGING ALT MY FLT PATH CHANGED TO A S TO N THEN WITHIN A MINUTE OR SO TO SE TO NW AND THEN TO E TO W THEN ENE TO WSW. ONCE I LINED UP FOR AN APCH TO THE FIELD I INCREASED MY DSCNT, TO GIVE ME ROOM TO LAND AND STILL DRAG TO A STOP. I ANTICIPATED TRAVELING N-S ONCE 10-20 AGL, BUT ONCE AT THAT LEVEL I CONTINUED ESE-WSW. UPON LNDG THE WIND INCREASED IN VELOCITY, THE BALLOON WAS PUSHED OVER TO ITS SIDE AND DRAGGED FOR ABOUT 20 YDS. THE BALLOON WAS LIFTED OFF THE GND FOR ABOUT 100 YDS THEN RETURNED TO THE GND AND DRAGGED ANOTHER 300 YDS THRU THE FIELD THEN OVER A ROAD. ACROSS THE ROAD WAS A BARBED-WIRE FENCE WHICH HELPED TO SLOW THE BALLOON DOWN BUT THE WIND WAS STILL MOVING THE BALLOON TOWARDS A POWER LINE. THE BASKET BROKE THRU THE FENCE. THE BALLOON DRAPED OVER THE POWER LINES, AND WITH THE SPEED OF THE WIND THE BALLOON ENVELOPE CAUSED THE POWER LINES TO SHORT AND BLEW THE CIRCUIT BREAKER ON THE LINE. NEITHER SERIOUS INJURY NOT SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE RESULTED AS A RESULT OF THIS WX/FLT INCIDENT. THE PLT DISCUSSED THE INCIDENT WITH SEVERAL METEOROLOGISTS AND RESEARCHERS. BASED UPON THE FLT PATHS OF THE BALLOON OF THE REPORTING PLT AND ANOTHER BALLOON IN THE LCL FLT AREA, A LOCALIZED LOW PRESSURE CENTER PROBABLY DEVELOPED IN THE CREATING A 'MESO-CYCLONE'.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.