Narrative:

I took off from southwest shreveport anticipating flying for approximately 40 mins along an easterly/northeasterly track toward lsu-shreveport in southeast shreveport. 2 passenger were on board. We took off without incident at approximately XA00 am and established contact with shreveport tower soon after liftoff. Our course took us slightly north of lsu-shreveport, but the winds were faster than anticipated. Wishing to extend the flight a few more mins, I opted not to land near lsu, but to maintain the course we were flying and land near the red river, on the west bank. As soon as it became evident that our course would not allow us to safely attempt a landing at any of the possible sites on the west side of the river, I contacted shreveport control tower and requested a frequency change to 128.25 to contact barksdale tower of our approach into their airspace. I tried repeatedly to establish communication with the barksdale tower without any success. I began my approach to land in a small field west of united states highway 71 and touched down in the field. As soon as I touched down, it became evident that high grass and brush 6-8 ft tall presented a significant risk to my passenger and would make retrieval of the balloon very difficult, so I lifted off again to attempt a landing at a better site approximately 300 yards away. As I gained altitude, the winds turned me away from the selected field, with no other safe options available. I climbed to gain altitude and attempted to contact the barksdale control tower on the radio, with no success. I then contacted my chase crew and asked them to call RAPCON on the telephone to inform them I would be flying across the barksdale airfield at approximately 800 ft AGL, crossing the runway at mid-field. I then changed radio frequency to shreveport tower frequency and requested the shreveport tower to contact barksdale tower and notify them of my intentions. After several mins, with no response from the shreveport tower, I called them back to determine whether they had spoken with barksdale. They replied that they had not. I then attempted to contact barksdale on their frequency and was successful. I apologized for the unannounced intrusion and informed them that I was crossing mid-field at 800 ft AGL. My intentions were to cross the base and land east of the base. They asked if I intended to land on the base, and I replied that it was not my intention to land on the base. During this discussion, my chase crew notified me by radio that they had spoken with RAPCON on the phone. I was told to contact RAPCON by phone as soon as possible after landing. After completing the discussion with barksdale, I climbed to 1300 ft AGL and maintained that altitude until leaving barksdale airspace. Near the limits of their airspace, barksdale tower asked my location and I informed them that I was approximately 12 mi east of the field and that I was beginning my approach to land between interstate 20 and united states highway 80, north and east of the base. They asked me to contact RAPCON on 118.6, which I attempted to do with no success. I began my descent to land and made several attempts to maneuver into small fields but aborted those attempts when it appeared that doing so would present significant hazard to the passenger of the balloon or persons on the ground. After several mins, we came upon a small cleared area behind a mobile home, and I landed the balloon without incident at approximately XB00 am. When the chase crew arrived at the landing site, I contacted RAPCON by telephone to inform them that we had landed. I asked them if I needed to file any reports and they replied that no reports were necessary.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A HOT AIR BALLOON PLT FLEW INTO BAD AIRSPACE WITHOUT PRIOR CLRNC.

Narrative: I TOOK OFF FROM SW SHREVEPORT ANTICIPATING FLYING FOR APPROX 40 MINS ALONG AN EASTERLY/NORTHEASTERLY TRACK TOWARD LSU-SHREVEPORT IN SE SHREVEPORT. 2 PAX WERE ON BOARD. WE TOOK OFF WITHOUT INCIDENT AT APPROX XA00 AM AND ESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH SHREVEPORT TWR SOON AFTER LIFTOFF. OUR COURSE TOOK US SLIGHTLY N OF LSU-SHREVEPORT, BUT THE WINDS WERE FASTER THAN ANTICIPATED. WISHING TO EXTEND THE FLT A FEW MORE MINS, I OPTED NOT TO LAND NEAR LSU, BUT TO MAINTAIN THE COURSE WE WERE FLYING AND LAND NEAR THE RED RIVER, ON THE W BANK. AS SOON AS IT BECAME EVIDENT THAT OUR COURSE WOULD NOT ALLOW US TO SAFELY ATTEMPT A LNDG AT ANY OF THE POSSIBLE SITES ON THE W SIDE OF THE RIVER, I CONTACTED SHREVEPORT CTL TWR AND REQUESTED A FREQ CHANGE TO 128.25 TO CONTACT BARKSDALE TWR OF OUR APCH INTO THEIR AIRSPACE. I TRIED REPEATEDLY TO ESTABLISH COM WITH THE BARKSDALE TWR WITHOUT ANY SUCCESS. I BEGAN MY APCH TO LAND IN A SMALL FIELD W OF UNITED STATES HWY 71 AND TOUCHED DOWN IN THE FIELD. AS SOON AS I TOUCHED DOWN, IT BECAME EVIDENT THAT HIGH GRASS AND BRUSH 6-8 FT TALL PRESENTED A SIGNIFICANT RISK TO MY PAX AND WOULD MAKE RETRIEVAL OF THE BALLOON VERY DIFFICULT, SO I LIFTED OFF AGAIN TO ATTEMPT A LNDG AT A BETTER SITE APPROX 300 YARDS AWAY. AS I GAINED ALT, THE WINDS TURNED ME AWAY FROM THE SELECTED FIELD, WITH NO OTHER SAFE OPTIONS AVAILABLE. I CLBED TO GAIN ALT AND ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT THE BARKSDALE CTL TWR ON THE RADIO, WITH NO SUCCESS. I THEN CONTACTED MY CHASE CREW AND ASKED THEM TO CALL RAPCON ON THE TELEPHONE TO INFORM THEM I WOULD BE FLYING ACROSS THE BARKSDALE AIRFIELD AT APPROX 800 FT AGL, XING THE RWY AT MID-FIELD. I THEN CHANGED RADIO FREQ TO SHREVEPORT TWR FREQ AND REQUESTED THE SHREVEPORT TWR TO CONTACT BARKSDALE TWR AND NOTIFY THEM OF MY INTENTIONS. AFTER SEVERAL MINS, WITH NO RESPONSE FROM THE SHREVEPORT TWR, I CALLED THEM BACK TO DETERMINE WHETHER THEY HAD SPOKEN WITH BARKSDALE. THEY REPLIED THAT THEY HAD NOT. I THEN ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT BARKSDALE ON THEIR FREQ AND WAS SUCCESSFUL. I APOLOGIZED FOR THE UNANNOUNCED INTRUSION AND INFORMED THEM THAT I WAS XING MID-FIELD AT 800 FT AGL. MY INTENTIONS WERE TO CROSS THE BASE AND LAND E OF THE BASE. THEY ASKED IF I INTENDED TO LAND ON THE BASE, AND I REPLIED THAT IT WAS NOT MY INTENTION TO LAND ON THE BASE. DURING THIS DISCUSSION, MY CHASE CREW NOTIFIED ME BY RADIO THAT THEY HAD SPOKEN WITH RAPCON ON THE PHONE. I WAS TOLD TO CONTACT RAPCON BY PHONE ASAP AFTER LNDG. AFTER COMPLETING THE DISCUSSION WITH BARKSDALE, I CLBED TO 1300 FT AGL AND MAINTAINED THAT ALT UNTIL LEAVING BARKSDALE AIRSPACE. NEAR THE LIMITS OF THEIR AIRSPACE, BARKSDALE TWR ASKED MY LOCATION AND I INFORMED THEM THAT I WAS APPROX 12 MI E OF THE FIELD AND THAT I WAS BEGINNING MY APCH TO LAND BTWN INTERSTATE 20 AND UNITED STATES HWY 80, N AND E OF THE BASE. THEY ASKED ME TO CONTACT RAPCON ON 118.6, WHICH I ATTEMPTED TO DO WITH NO SUCCESS. I BEGAN MY DSCNT TO LAND AND MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO MANEUVER INTO SMALL FIELDS BUT ABORTED THOSE ATTEMPTS WHEN IT APPEARED THAT DOING SO WOULD PRESENT SIGNIFICANT HAZARD TO THE PAX OF THE BALLOON OR PERSONS ON THE GND. AFTER SEVERAL MINS, WE CAME UPON A SMALL CLRED AREA BEHIND A MOBILE HOME, AND I LANDED THE BALLOON WITHOUT INCIDENT AT APPROX XB00 AM. WHEN THE CHASE CREW ARRIVED AT THE LNDG SITE, I CONTACTED RAPCON BY TELEPHONE TO INFORM THEM THAT WE HAD LANDED. I ASKED THEM IF I NEEDED TO FILE ANY RPTS AND THEY REPLIED THAT NO RPTS WERE NECESSARY.

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.