Narrative:

A passenger in my hot air balloon received a small cut going diagonally through her left eyebrow. This happened during a high wind landing. I flew 2 passenger, a male and female both in their 30's. I received WX the morning of the flight and all surrounding reporting stations were reporting either calm or low KTS of wind. The winds aloft forecast was also calling for low KTS. I noticed there was no visible wind as I drove north through the valley to our launch site. Upon reaching the launch site, I noticed there was fog approximately 5 mi to the north. I released a helium balloon and noticed that the wind was going in a southern direction at lower altitudes but at higher altitudes it was calmed. I felt that once we were in the air and had traveled further south through the valley, the wind would calm down. Especially since I just drove through the flight area and noticed calm winds. I had a windy inflation of the balloon, but felt the wind was funneling down through the hills since we were the farthest north in this valley. From past experience, it is not unusual to have windy inflation at this launch site and have calm conditions further south when you land. After 1/2 hour into the flight I noticed the wind had not calmed down. We were traveling a good speed south through the valley. I saw a large field straight ahead in my flight path and felt it was big enough to accomplish a high wind landing. I requested the female passenger to remove her glasses and store them inside the glove box that was on board. I briefed the passenger to bend down far into the basket and to hang on, keeping their arms inside the basket. I also told them we were going to hit very hard and probably the basket would tip over and drag through the field. As I made my approach to the field I kept reminding them to hang on. Just prior to touching down, I turned off my pilot light to ensure no source of ignition was available. We hit the ground and the basket then tipped over and dragged approximately 75 ft. Sometime when the basket was being dragged through the field by the wind, the lady passenger started to cry. Her boyfriend then wrapped his arm around her to comfort her. I told them we would stop soon and continued to remind them to hang on. When we finally stopped, we noticed she had cut her head on something. Because the cut was on the face, it was quick to bleed. After cleaning the wound we realized it was approximately 3/4 of an inch long. The following day I followed up with a phone call to the boyfriend to find out her condition. He informed me they could not get the wound to stop bleeding. She had gone to the emergency room the previous day where she was treated and released. She required 7 stitches.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PAX IN A HOT AIR BALLOON WAS SLIGHTLY INJURED DURING A HIGH WIND LNDG.

Narrative: A PAX IN MY HOT AIR BALLOON RECEIVED A SMALL CUT GOING DIAGONALLY THROUGH HER L EYEBROW. THIS HAPPENED DURING A HIGH WIND LNDG. I FLEW 2 PAX, A MALE AND FEMALE BOTH IN THEIR 30'S. I RECEIVED WX THE MORNING OF THE FLT AND ALL SURROUNDING RPTING STATIONS WERE RPTING EITHER CALM OR LOW KTS OF WIND. THE WINDS ALOFT FORECAST WAS ALSO CALLING FOR LOW KTS. I NOTICED THERE WAS NO VISIBLE WIND AS I DROVE N THROUGH THE VALLEY TO OUR LAUNCH SITE. UPON REACHING THE LAUNCH SITE, I NOTICED THERE WAS FOG APPROX 5 MI TO THE N. I RELEASED A HELIUM BALLOON AND NOTICED THAT THE WIND WAS GOING IN A SOUTHERN DIRECTION AT LOWER ALTS BUT AT HIGHER ALTS IT WAS CALMED. I FELT THAT ONCE WE WERE IN THE AIR AND HAD TRAVELED FURTHER S THROUGH THE VALLEY, THE WIND WOULD CALM DOWN. ESPECIALLY SINCE I JUST DROVE THROUGH THE FLT AREA AND NOTICED CALM WINDS. I HAD A WINDY INFLATION OF THE BALLOON, BUT FELT THE WIND WAS FUNNELING DOWN THROUGH THE HILLS SINCE WE WERE THE FARTHEST N IN THIS VALLEY. FROM PAST EXPERIENCE, IT IS NOT UNUSUAL TO HAVE WINDY INFLATION AT THIS LAUNCH SITE AND HAVE CALM CONDITIONS FURTHER S WHEN YOU LAND. AFTER 1/2 HR INTO THE FLT I NOTICED THE WIND HAD NOT CALMED DOWN. WE WERE TRAVELING A GOOD SPD S THROUGH THE VALLEY. I SAW A LARGE FIELD STRAIGHT AHEAD IN MY FLT PATH AND FELT IT WAS BIG ENOUGH TO ACCOMPLISH A HIGH WIND LNDG. I REQUESTED THE FEMALE PAX TO REMOVE HER GLASSES AND STORE THEM INSIDE THE GLOVE BOX THAT WAS ON BOARD. I BRIEFED THE PAX TO BEND DOWN FAR INTO THE BASKET AND TO HANG ON, KEEPING THEIR ARMS INSIDE THE BASKET. I ALSO TOLD THEM WE WERE GOING TO HIT VERY HARD AND PROBABLY THE BASKET WOULD TIP OVER AND DRAG THROUGH THE FIELD. AS I MADE MY APCH TO THE FIELD I KEPT REMINDING THEM TO HANG ON. JUST PRIOR TO TOUCHING DOWN, I TURNED OFF MY PLT LIGHT TO ENSURE NO SOURCE OF IGNITION WAS AVAILABLE. WE HIT THE GND AND THE BASKET THEN TIPPED OVER AND DRAGGED APPROX 75 FT. SOMETIME WHEN THE BASKET WAS BEING DRAGGED THROUGH THE FIELD BY THE WIND, THE LADY PAX STARTED TO CRY. HER BOYFRIEND THEN WRAPPED HIS ARM AROUND HER TO COMFORT HER. I TOLD THEM WE WOULD STOP SOON AND CONTINUED TO REMIND THEM TO HANG ON. WHEN WE FINALLY STOPPED, WE NOTICED SHE HAD CUT HER HEAD ON SOMETHING. BECAUSE THE CUT WAS ON THE FACE, IT WAS QUICK TO BLEED. AFTER CLEANING THE WOUND WE REALIZED IT WAS APPROX 3/4 OF AN INCH LONG. THE FOLLOWING DAY I FOLLOWED UP WITH A PHONE CALL TO THE BOYFRIEND TO FIND OUT HER CONDITION. HE INFORMED ME THEY COULD NOT GET THE WOUND TO STOP BLEEDING. SHE HAD GONE TO THE EMER ROOM THE PREVIOUS DAY WHERE SHE WAS TREATED AND RELEASED. SHE REQUIRED 7 STITCHES.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.