Narrative:

I was flying my hot air balloon on a routine commercial ride flight on aug/xa/97. My 3 passenger were 2 adults and a minor. My chase crew and vehicle were following and were in radio communication with us. That morning prior to the flight, I had obtained 2 WX briefings -- 1 from st petersburg FSS and 1 from our local sarasota-bradenton automated WX. Both indicated a good day for ballooning with very light winds, good ceilings, and no close thunderstorms in the area. We launched near highway 64 east of bradenton and a little west of interstate 75 next to the winn dixie parking lot. We were a little over 30 mins into the flight and over the manatee river when a rain shower appeared to be overtaking us from the wsw. Since in my 8 yrs of ballooning, I had experienced light rain showers during flight on 3 or 4 other occasions, and since I could see through this shower, it did not present a great concern. I had not had any problem on the other occasions. I anticipated the shower would pass over us shortly, and the balloon would dry, as it had on the other occasions, and we would land without event. However, while the shower was over us, some rain came through the fabric at the top of the balloon extinguishing the pilot lights and getting both my strikers wet so that they would not spark. I also had a butane flame lighter in the pocket of the balloon basket. However, it would not light either. Therefore, we had no flame in the burner and no way to re-ignite. Without hot air in the balloon for buoyancy, the balloon drifted down and landed in the river about 20 ft from shore. I had briefed my passenger with my usual briefing before takeoff. The briefing includes the precaution that they should stay in the basket at all times throughout flight and landing and should exit the basket only when I told them to do so. Nevertheless, the mother of the minor girl threw the child out into the water, then jumped into the water herself and carried the child to shore. The water was shallow, so she was able to walk out. A person on shore who had seen the balloon come down had called 911, so an ambulance and paramedics arrived shortly, along with a sheriff's deputy. In the meantime, the third passenger remained in the basket with me, and we drifted about 30 ft to a dock where I had the passenger disembark. I obtained a dry striker from a construction worker on shore, relit the pilots and flew the balloon out to a suitable area where I landed it safety. (I had to get the balloon out of the river and on dry land so that we -- the crew and I -- could pack it up for transport.) there was no damage at all to the balloon or basket, other than just being wet. Although the paramedics who responded to the scene did not recommend transport of anyone, the mother of the little girl was (understandably) concerned and requested that the child be checked at the hospital. She had a rope burn on her arm and a small cut on her forehead. As soon as I had the balloon secure, I went directly to the hospital to check on them. The little girl was given 2 stitches in the cut on her forehead and released from the emergency room.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PLT IN A COMMERCIAL AI8-88 HOT AIR BALLOON RPTS THAT A RAIN STORM PUT OUT HIS FLAME AND HE LANDED IN A RIVER WITHOUT SERIOUS INJURY TO HIS PAX OR DAMAGE TO HIS BALLOON. HE WAS ABLE TO RELIGHT HIS BURNER AFTER LNDG AND FLY TO A SAFE LNDG WHERE THE BALLOON WAS RECOVERED BY HIS CHASE TEAM.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING MY HOT AIR BALLOON ON A ROUTINE COMMERCIAL RIDE FLT ON AUG/XA/97. MY 3 PAX WERE 2 ADULTS AND A MINOR. MY CHASE CREW AND VEHICLE WERE FOLLOWING AND WERE IN RADIO COM WITH US. THAT MORNING PRIOR TO THE FLT, I HAD OBTAINED 2 WX BRIEFINGS -- 1 FROM ST PETERSBURG FSS AND 1 FROM OUR LCL SARASOTA-BRADENTON AUTOMATED WX. BOTH INDICATED A GOOD DAY FOR BALLOONING WITH VERY LIGHT WINDS, GOOD CEILINGS, AND NO CLOSE TSTMS IN THE AREA. WE LAUNCHED NEAR HWY 64 E OF BRADENTON AND A LITTLE W OF INTERSTATE 75 NEXT TO THE WINN DIXIE PARKING LOT. WE WERE A LITTLE OVER 30 MINS INTO THE FLT AND OVER THE MANATEE RIVER WHEN A RAIN SHOWER APPEARED TO BE OVERTAKING US FROM THE WSW. SINCE IN MY 8 YRS OF BALLOONING, I HAD EXPERIENCED LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS DURING FLT ON 3 OR 4 OTHER OCCASIONS, AND SINCE I COULD SEE THROUGH THIS SHOWER, IT DID NOT PRESENT A GREAT CONCERN. I HAD NOT HAD ANY PROB ON THE OTHER OCCASIONS. I ANTICIPATED THE SHOWER WOULD PASS OVER US SHORTLY, AND THE BALLOON WOULD DRY, AS IT HAD ON THE OTHER OCCASIONS, AND WE WOULD LAND WITHOUT EVENT. HOWEVER, WHILE THE SHOWER WAS OVER US, SOME RAIN CAME THROUGH THE FABRIC AT THE TOP OF THE BALLOON EXTINGUISHING THE PLT LIGHTS AND GETTING BOTH MY STRIKERS WET SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT SPARK. I ALSO HAD A BUTANE FLAME LIGHTER IN THE POCKET OF THE BALLOON BASKET. HOWEVER, IT WOULD NOT LIGHT EITHER. THEREFORE, WE HAD NO FLAME IN THE BURNER AND NO WAY TO RE-IGNITE. WITHOUT HOT AIR IN THE BALLOON FOR BUOYANCY, THE BALLOON DRIFTED DOWN AND LANDED IN THE RIVER ABOUT 20 FT FROM SHORE. I HAD BRIEFED MY PAX WITH MY USUAL BRIEFING BEFORE TKOF. THE BRIEFING INCLUDES THE PRECAUTION THAT THEY SHOULD STAY IN THE BASKET AT ALL TIMES THROUGHOUT FLT AND LNDG AND SHOULD EXIT THE BASKET ONLY WHEN I TOLD THEM TO DO SO. NEVERTHELESS, THE MOTHER OF THE MINOR GIRL THREW THE CHILD OUT INTO THE WATER, THEN JUMPED INTO THE WATER HERSELF AND CARRIED THE CHILD TO SHORE. THE WATER WAS SHALLOW, SO SHE WAS ABLE TO WALK OUT. A PERSON ON SHORE WHO HAD SEEN THE BALLOON COME DOWN HAD CALLED 911, SO AN AMBULANCE AND PARAMEDICS ARRIVED SHORTLY, ALONG WITH A SHERIFF'S DEPUTY. IN THE MEANTIME, THE THIRD PAX REMAINED IN THE BASKET WITH ME, AND WE DRIFTED ABOUT 30 FT TO A DOCK WHERE I HAD THE PAX DISEMBARK. I OBTAINED A DRY STRIKER FROM A CONSTRUCTION WORKER ON SHORE, RELIT THE PLTS AND FLEW THE BALLOON OUT TO A SUITABLE AREA WHERE I LANDED IT SAFETY. (I HAD TO GET THE BALLOON OUT OF THE RIVER AND ON DRY LAND SO THAT WE -- THE CREW AND I -- COULD PACK IT UP FOR TRANSPORT.) THERE WAS NO DAMAGE AT ALL TO THE BALLOON OR BASKET, OTHER THAN JUST BEING WET. ALTHOUGH THE PARAMEDICS WHO RESPONDED TO THE SCENE DID NOT RECOMMEND TRANSPORT OF ANYONE, THE MOTHER OF THE LITTLE GIRL WAS (UNDERSTANDABLY) CONCERNED AND REQUESTED THAT THE CHILD BE CHKED AT THE HOSPITAL. SHE HAD A ROPE BURN ON HER ARM AND A SMALL CUT ON HER FOREHEAD. AS SOON AS I HAD THE BALLOON SECURE, I WENT DIRECTLY TO THE HOSPITAL TO CHK ON THEM. THE LITTLE GIRL WAS GIVEN 2 STITCHES IN THE CUT ON HER FOREHEAD AND RELEASED FROM THE EMER ROOM.

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.