Narrative:

Balloon flight originated from breckenridge, co, for a planned flight of approximately 1 hour. Surface winds were less than 5 KTS out of the south. 500 ft AGL winds were less than 5 KTS out of the north. Normal bay winds for mt valley. Takeoff elevation was 9600 ft MSL. (Winds up to approximately 4000 ft AGL were light and variable.) 30-40 mins into flight, I was attempting to fly the balloon back to the launch point and was north and west from the intended landing area about 2-3 blocks. I was flying at 500 ft AGL and ascended to 1000 ft AGL to a wind that was previously blowing from the northwest towards the intended landing area. The wind was no longer there and the winds from that altitude up to 3000 ft AGL were stagnant, unable to blow the balloon anywhere. The only wind was from the surface up to 200 ft AGL and out of the east, which was being caused by the convective heating of the east facing mountain slope. The slope consisted of trees (up to tree line 10300 ft) and winding mountain roads with power lines. I made 2-3 approachs to land on or near the road and each time the wind pushed the balloon towards the power lines so the lndgs were aborted. The last approach was made at the last road below tree line, balloon still heading in westerly direction. Still thinking that I could find another wind direction at altitude, I climbed slowly trying to find a wind to blow me any direction other than west. I started the flight with 60 gallons of fuel and at this time I still had a little more than 1/2 or 30 gallons. There still was no wind up to 12500 ft MSL, so I continued to climb. Passenger and myself were not showing any effects of oxygen starvation, so I continued up to FL190, still no wind. I descended back to the surface committing that time to cross over the mountain range east to west, cresting the mountain at 10-15 ft AGL. At this time I was at 20 gallons of fuel or approximately 1 hour duration. I was attempting to fly down the west face of the mountain to copper mountain ski area when the wind shifted from an east wind to a north wind blowing me south. I had to ascend over another 12000 ft MSL mountain. Landing sites were choices of extreme vertical cliffs and/or snow chutes. I decided to land at the upper portion of a snow chute and allow the balloon to cool so that it would slide or bounce down the chute to a more level area where we could safely deflate the balloon. Approximately 1000 ft down the chute, I stopped the balloon basket in upright position, instructed the passenger to exit the basket, and then deflated the balloon in the snow chute. I had radioed my crew to call search and rescue when we crossed over the mountains from breckenridge to copper so we waited until they arrived on scene on the interstate highway which we could see below us. Nobody on the balloon was hurt, but there was no way we could walk down the mountain. We were at 11300 ft MSL on a very steep snow chute which could avalanche at any time. Search and rescue started the rescue with experienced rock and ice climbers climbing up from the road and they also dispatched a military blackhawk helicopter from fort carson in colorado springs. I had landed the balloon at XA15 and we were air lifted off the mountain by the blackhawk at XH03. No injuries to balloon crew or rescue teams. Balloon system was blown off the mountain by the propeller wash from helicopter. Basket was destroyed, envelope had multiple tears. Evaluation: problem arose when winds aloft became calm and only motion was to west. Contributing factors were the normal heating of the sun facing slope of mountain causing an east wind. Corrective action may have been able to make a free landing on east side of mountain which would have made for a less dangerous retrieval of passenger and equipment. Human performance: I felt that once I passed above tree line the safest thing was to try and fly to copper mountain. Landing on the east side of mountain above tree line would have resulted in a possible avalanche or injury to passenger due to the extreme angle of the terrain. Judgements and decisions were calculated and determined by myself basing them on previous experience. The fact that no one was hurt makes me feel the decisions made were correct, and given the winds I had to work with, the landing was in the safest place I could have possibly put it.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF A BW-AX9B BALLOON WAS FORCED TO LAND ON THE SIDE OF A HIGH STEEP MOUNTAIN AFTER ATTEMPTING TO ASCEND INTO A WIND CURRENT THAT WOULD TAKE HIM FREE OF LNDG IN TREES AND PWR LINES. NO FAVORABLE WIND WAS AVAILABLE EVEN UP THROUGH FL190 RESULTING IN A LNDG PRIOR TO FUEL EXHAUSTION. HOWEVER, PROFESSIONAL SEARCH AND RESCUE PERSONNEL WERE REQUIRED TO EXTRACT THE PLT AND PAX FROM THE LNDG SITE.

Narrative: BALLOON FLT ORIGINATED FROM BRECKENRIDGE, CO, FOR A PLANNED FLT OF APPROX 1 HR. SURFACE WINDS WERE LESS THAN 5 KTS OUT OF THE S. 500 FT AGL WINDS WERE LESS THAN 5 KTS OUT OF THE N. NORMAL BAY WINDS FOR MT VALLEY. TKOF ELEVATION WAS 9600 FT MSL. (WINDS UP TO APPROX 4000 FT AGL WERE LIGHT AND VARIABLE.) 30-40 MINS INTO FLT, I WAS ATTEMPTING TO FLY THE BALLOON BACK TO THE LAUNCH POINT AND WAS N AND W FROM THE INTENDED LNDG AREA ABOUT 2-3 BLOCKS. I WAS FLYING AT 500 FT AGL AND ASCENDED TO 1000 FT AGL TO A WIND THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY BLOWING FROM THE NW TOWARDS THE INTENDED LNDG AREA. THE WIND WAS NO LONGER THERE AND THE WINDS FROM THAT ALT UP TO 3000 FT AGL WERE STAGNANT, UNABLE TO BLOW THE BALLOON ANYWHERE. THE ONLY WIND WAS FROM THE SURFACE UP TO 200 FT AGL AND OUT OF THE E, WHICH WAS BEING CAUSED BY THE CONVECTIVE HEATING OF THE E FACING MOUNTAIN SLOPE. THE SLOPE CONSISTED OF TREES (UP TO TREE LINE 10300 FT) AND WINDING MOUNTAIN ROADS WITH PWR LINES. I MADE 2-3 APCHS TO LAND ON OR NEAR THE ROAD AND EACH TIME THE WIND PUSHED THE BALLOON TOWARDS THE PWR LINES SO THE LNDGS WERE ABORTED. THE LAST APCH WAS MADE AT THE LAST ROAD BELOW TREE LINE, BALLOON STILL HDG IN WESTERLY DIRECTION. STILL THINKING THAT I COULD FIND ANOTHER WIND DIRECTION AT ALT, I CLBED SLOWLY TRYING TO FIND A WIND TO BLOW ME ANY DIRECTION OTHER THAN W. I STARTED THE FLT WITH 60 GALLONS OF FUEL AND AT THIS TIME I STILL HAD A LITTLE MORE THAN 1/2 OR 30 GALLONS. THERE STILL WAS NO WIND UP TO 12500 FT MSL, SO I CONTINUED TO CLB. PAX AND MYSELF WERE NOT SHOWING ANY EFFECTS OF OXYGEN STARVATION, SO I CONTINUED UP TO FL190, STILL NO WIND. I DSNDED BACK TO THE SURFACE COMMITTING THAT TIME TO CROSS OVER THE MOUNTAIN RANGE E TO W, CRESTING THE MOUNTAIN AT 10-15 FT AGL. AT THIS TIME I WAS AT 20 GALLONS OF FUEL OR APPROX 1 HR DURATION. I WAS ATTEMPTING TO FLY DOWN THE W FACE OF THE MOUNTAIN TO COPPER MOUNTAIN SKI AREA WHEN THE WIND SHIFTED FROM AN E WIND TO A N WIND BLOWING ME S. I HAD TO ASCEND OVER ANOTHER 12000 FT MSL MOUNTAIN. LNDG SITES WERE CHOICES OF EXTREME VERT CLIFFS AND/OR SNOW CHUTES. I DECIDED TO LAND AT THE UPPER PORTION OF A SNOW CHUTE AND ALLOW THE BALLOON TO COOL SO THAT IT WOULD SLIDE OR BOUNCE DOWN THE CHUTE TO A MORE LEVEL AREA WHERE WE COULD SAFELY DEFLATE THE BALLOON. APPROX 1000 FT DOWN THE CHUTE, I STOPPED THE BALLOON BASKET IN UPRIGHT POS, INSTRUCTED THE PAX TO EXIT THE BASKET, AND THEN DEFLATED THE BALLOON IN THE SNOW CHUTE. I HAD RADIOED MY CREW TO CALL SEARCH AND RESCUE WHEN WE CROSSED OVER THE MOUNTAINS FROM BRECKENRIDGE TO COPPER SO WE WAITED UNTIL THEY ARRIVED ON SCENE ON THE INTERSTATE HWY WHICH WE COULD SEE BELOW US. NOBODY ON THE BALLOON WAS HURT, BUT THERE WAS NO WAY WE COULD WALK DOWN THE MOUNTAIN. WE WERE AT 11300 FT MSL ON A VERY STEEP SNOW CHUTE WHICH COULD AVALANCHE AT ANY TIME. SEARCH AND RESCUE STARTED THE RESCUE WITH EXPERIENCED ROCK AND ICE CLIMBERS CLBING UP FROM THE ROAD AND THEY ALSO DISPATCHED A MIL BLACKHAWK HELI FROM FORT CARSON IN COLORADO SPRINGS. I HAD LANDED THE BALLOON AT XA15 AND WE WERE AIR LIFTED OFF THE MOUNTAIN BY THE BLACKHAWK AT XH03. NO INJURIES TO BALLOON CREW OR RESCUE TEAMS. BALLOON SYS WAS BLOWN OFF THE MOUNTAIN BY THE PROP WASH FROM HELI. BASKET WAS DESTROYED, ENVELOPE HAD MULTIPLE TEARS. EVALUATION: PROB AROSE WHEN WINDS ALOFT BECAME CALM AND ONLY MOTION WAS TO W. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE THE NORMAL HEATING OF THE SUN FACING SLOPE OF MOUNTAIN CAUSING AN E WIND. CORRECTIVE ACTION MAY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE A FREE LNDG ON E SIDE OF MOUNTAIN WHICH WOULD HAVE MADE FOR A LESS DANGEROUS RETRIEVAL OF PAX AND EQUIP. HUMAN PERFORMANCE: I FELT THAT ONCE I PASSED ABOVE TREE LINE THE SAFEST THING WAS TO TRY AND FLY TO COPPER MOUNTAIN. LNDG ON THE E SIDE OF MOUNTAIN ABOVE TREE LINE WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN A POSSIBLE AVALANCHE OR INJURY TO PAX DUE TO THE EXTREME ANGLE OF THE TERRAIN. JUDGEMENTS AND DECISIONS WERE CALCULATED AND DETERMINED BY MYSELF BASING THEM ON PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE. THE FACT THAT NO ONE WAS HURT MAKES ME FEEL THE DECISIONS MADE WERE CORRECT, AND GIVEN THE WINDS I HAD TO WORK WITH, THE LNDG WAS IN THE SAFEST PLACE I COULD HAVE POSSIBLY PUT IT.

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.