Narrative:

After landing the balloon on the slight upslope of a hill approximately 150 ft in height, I had the 2 ground crew assist me in moving the balloon across the top of the hill and then down the other side to a road downwind. The balloon was never supposed to get much above several ft of the terrain. Upon reaching the downhill slope, the idea was to hop gently down the hill a few ft to a few yards at a time. The balloon, however, was caught in the turbulent air of a small rotor close to the downslope. Rather than remaining under the positive control of the pilot and the ground crew, the balloon began to try to fly downhill. Upon striking the terrain, the basket recoiled back into the air. The balloon was not buoyant enough for this new altitude, and the basket again hit the terrain, and again rose into the air. The third major contact was when the basket leaned over. Upon seeing that things were no longer under my control, I vented hot air in an attempt to bring the balloon to a stop. The problem was that under the circumstances I had no control over the terrain and/or objects which I might have been deflating or landing on. The slope was not too severe, but the last contact with the slope was on top of a small boulder. This made the slope much more severe. In fact, it was very close to vertical. Only 1 corner of the rectangular basket hit the rock. The remainder of the basket continued downhill. The contact with the rock resulted in the basket tipping past the point it would have if the rock was not there. In addition, the basket also rolled as it tipped. These 2 factors, combined with some low areas on both sides of the basket enabled myself and 4 of the 8 passenger to roll out onto the ground. One of the passenger that remained onboard was thrust downward and struck the burner blast valve with his upper arm. The 4 passenger who remained onboard, were now airborne without a pilot. The burner had, however, not remained in blast mode. Its valve handle, once released, closed and no more propane (raw or flaming) was emitted. Myself and the crew got under the basket and I called up to the passenger not to touch anything. Additionally, I inquired as to whether the balloon was descending. The response from the basket was that it was now dropping. Upon contact with the ground, the crew put weight on and I grabbed the vent line. This made the balloon come to a stop immediately. Some minor injuries, including bruises, small cuts, and twisted ankles, were incurred by both passenger who remained onboard and those who were tossed out. Additionally I sustained a minor rope burn to the back of my neck when the vent line rose behind me after I was tossed out. Some damage occurred to the basket's rattan uprights as well as to both of the partitions which are designed to separate groups of passenger from each other and from the pilot and fuel. My feelings are that a better design to the basket partition as well as the low sides could have prevented us 5 from departing the basket. Our weight, additionally, would have kept the system on the ground and eliminated the need for myself and the crew to run after and essentially re-land the aircraft from the outside. I personally think that a major rethink of low-sided balloon baskets in general is in order. I have also heard that some countries in europe now require a pilot restraint for commercial ride balloons. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that one or more passenger who received minor injuries, complained to the FAA causing an FAA investigation of this incident. He admits that he used bad judgement in trying to move the balloon down the leeward wind side of the hill on which he had originally landed. The wind currents were such that it made it difficult to control the altitude of the balloon as it settled down the inclined slope with the wind. When the basket touched down on the tip of a rock, causing the basket to tip over and deposit the pilot reporter, 1 ground crew member, who has hanging onto the basket, and 4 of the 8 passenger out of the basket, 1 passenger struck one of the burner blast valves causing the vegetation to catch fire, the fire extinguisher to fall out and the ground crew put out the fire. The purpose of trying to re-land the balloon was to provide ground vehicle access to the recovery of the balloon and passenger. The balloon is 140000 cubic ft and rose approximately 100 ft back up without the pilot. 4 passenger were up alone and worrying about their fate. The 4 passenger on the ground felt lucky to be out of the balloon safe with only minor injuries.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: BALLOON PLT AND 4 OF THE 8 PAX ARE THROWN OUT OF THE BALLOON CAUSED BY HITTING A ROCK ON THE SIDE OF A HILL DURING ONE OF MANY TOUCHDOWNS. THE BALLOON SUBSEQUENTLY RAISED BACK UP INTO THE AIR APPROX 100 FT AND FLEW ONE QUARTER MI. THE BALLOON BURNER STARTED A SMALL FIRE. THERE WERE SEVERAL MINOR INJURIES TO THE PLT AND PAX AND STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE BALLOON.

Narrative: AFTER LNDG THE BALLOON ON THE SLIGHT UPSLOPE OF A HILL APPROX 150 FT IN HEIGHT, I HAD THE 2 GND CREW ASSIST ME IN MOVING THE BALLOON ACROSS THE TOP OF THE HILL AND THEN DOWN THE OTHER SIDE TO A ROAD DOWNWIND. THE BALLOON WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO GET MUCH ABOVE SEVERAL FT OF THE TERRAIN. UPON REACHING THE DOWNHILL SLOPE, THE IDEA WAS TO HOP GENTLY DOWN THE HILL A FEW FT TO A FEW YARDS AT A TIME. THE BALLOON, HOWEVER, WAS CAUGHT IN THE TURBULENT AIR OF A SMALL ROTOR CLOSE TO THE DOWNSLOPE. RATHER THAN REMAINING UNDER THE POSITIVE CTL OF THE PLT AND THE GND CREW, THE BALLOON BEGAN TO TRY TO FLY DOWNHILL. UPON STRIKING THE TERRAIN, THE BASKET RECOILED BACK INTO THE AIR. THE BALLOON WAS NOT BUOYANT ENOUGH FOR THIS NEW ALT, AND THE BASKET AGAIN HIT THE TERRAIN, AND AGAIN ROSE INTO THE AIR. THE THIRD MAJOR CONTACT WAS WHEN THE BASKET LEANED OVER. UPON SEEING THAT THINGS WERE NO LONGER UNDER MY CTL, I VENTED HOT AIR IN AN ATTEMPT TO BRING THE BALLOON TO A STOP. THE PROB WAS THAT UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES I HAD NO CTL OVER THE TERRAIN AND/OR OBJECTS WHICH I MIGHT HAVE BEEN DEFLATING OR LNDG ON. THE SLOPE WAS NOT TOO SEVERE, BUT THE LAST CONTACT WITH THE SLOPE WAS ON TOP OF A SMALL BOULDER. THIS MADE THE SLOPE MUCH MORE SEVERE. IN FACT, IT WAS VERY CLOSE TO VERT. ONLY 1 CORNER OF THE RECTANGULAR BASKET HIT THE ROCK. THE REMAINDER OF THE BASKET CONTINUED DOWNHILL. THE CONTACT WITH THE ROCK RESULTED IN THE BASKET TIPPING PAST THE POINT IT WOULD HAVE IF THE ROCK WAS NOT THERE. IN ADDITION, THE BASKET ALSO ROLLED AS IT TIPPED. THESE 2 FACTORS, COMBINED WITH SOME LOW AREAS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BASKET ENABLED MYSELF AND 4 OF THE 8 PAX TO ROLL OUT ONTO THE GND. ONE OF THE PAX THAT REMAINED ONBOARD WAS THRUST DOWNWARD AND STRUCK THE BURNER BLAST VALVE WITH HIS UPPER ARM. THE 4 PAX WHO REMAINED ONBOARD, WERE NOW AIRBORNE WITHOUT A PLT. THE BURNER HAD, HOWEVER, NOT REMAINED IN BLAST MODE. ITS VALVE HANDLE, ONCE RELEASED, CLOSED AND NO MORE PROPANE (RAW OR FLAMING) WAS EMITTED. MYSELF AND THE CREW GOT UNDER THE BASKET AND I CALLED UP TO THE PAX NOT TO TOUCH ANYTHING. ADDITIONALLY, I INQUIRED AS TO WHETHER THE BALLOON WAS DSNDING. THE RESPONSE FROM THE BASKET WAS THAT IT WAS NOW DROPPING. UPON CONTACT WITH THE GND, THE CREW PUT WT ON AND I GRABBED THE VENT LINE. THIS MADE THE BALLOON COME TO A STOP IMMEDIATELY. SOME MINOR INJURIES, INCLUDING BRUISES, SMALL CUTS, AND TWISTED ANKLES, WERE INCURRED BY BOTH PAX WHO REMAINED ONBOARD AND THOSE WHO WERE TOSSED OUT. ADDITIONALLY I SUSTAINED A MINOR ROPE BURN TO THE BACK OF MY NECK WHEN THE VENT LINE ROSE BEHIND ME AFTER I WAS TOSSED OUT. SOME DAMAGE OCCURRED TO THE BASKET'S RATTAN UPRIGHTS AS WELL AS TO BOTH OF THE PARTITIONS WHICH ARE DESIGNED TO SEPARATE GROUPS OF PAX FROM EACH OTHER AND FROM THE PLT AND FUEL. MY FEELINGS ARE THAT A BETTER DESIGN TO THE BASKET PARTITION AS WELL AS THE LOW SIDES COULD HAVE PREVENTED US 5 FROM DEPARTING THE BASKET. OUR WT, ADDITIONALLY, WOULD HAVE KEPT THE SYS ON THE GND AND ELIMINATED THE NEED FOR MYSELF AND THE CREW TO RUN AFTER AND ESSENTIALLY RE-LAND THE ACFT FROM THE OUTSIDE. I PERSONALLY THINK THAT A MAJOR RETHINK OF LOW-SIDED BALLOON BASKETS IN GENERAL IS IN ORDER. I HAVE ALSO HEARD THAT SOME COUNTRIES IN EUROPE NOW REQUIRE A PLT RESTRAINT FOR COMMERCIAL RIDE BALLOONS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT ONE OR MORE PAX WHO RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES, COMPLAINED TO THE FAA CAUSING AN FAA INVESTIGATION OF THIS INCIDENT. HE ADMITS THAT HE USED BAD JUDGEMENT IN TRYING TO MOVE THE BALLOON DOWN THE LEEWARD WIND SIDE OF THE HILL ON WHICH HE HAD ORIGINALLY LANDED. THE WIND CURRENTS WERE SUCH THAT IT MADE IT DIFFICULT TO CTL THE ALT OF THE BALLOON AS IT SETTLED DOWN THE INCLINED SLOPE WITH THE WIND. WHEN THE BASKET TOUCHED DOWN ON THE TIP OF A ROCK, CAUSING THE BASKET TO TIP OVER AND DEPOSIT THE PLT RPTR, 1 GND CREW MEMBER, WHO HAS HANGING ONTO THE BASKET, AND 4 OF THE 8 PAX OUT OF THE BASKET, 1 PAX STRUCK ONE OF THE BURNER BLAST VALVES CAUSING THE VEGETATION TO CATCH FIRE, THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER TO FALL OUT AND THE GND CREW PUT OUT THE FIRE. THE PURPOSE OF TRYING TO RE-LAND THE BALLOON WAS TO PROVIDE GND VEHICLE ACCESS TO THE RECOVERY OF THE BALLOON AND PAX. THE BALLOON IS 140000 CUBIC FT AND ROSE APPROX 100 FT BACK UP WITHOUT THE PLT. 4 PAX WERE UP ALONE AND WORRYING ABOUT THEIR FATE. THE 4 PAX ON THE GND FELT LUCKY TO BE OUT OF THE BALLOON SAFE WITH ONLY MINOR INJURIES.

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.