Narrative:

This incident involving balloon flight occurred during landing. We had been flying approximately 45 mins when I saw indications that the winds were starting to increase. I attempted a landing in a large pasture, but as we were approaching the ground, we encountered a left turn. The turn put us on a course that would have taken us directly into a WX gathering station that was located on the field. I climbed to clear the WX station and saw another smaller field north of the original field, and decided to attempt a landing there instead. I had to maintain level flight to clear the road and power lines that separated the 2 fields. Once clear of the power lines, I initiated a quick descent into the second field. As we were at an altitude of 1-20 ft AGL, we were hit by a strong turbulence gust that slammed us into the ground and started accelerating us to the north towards a house with a fenced backyard. We rebounded after the initial ground contact and hit the ground a second time just south of the fence. I had the vent line in my hand through both of the ground contacts and had pulled the parachute top, but that wasn't enough to deflate the balloon in that gust. We were then sucked back into the air and hit the ground a third time within the confines of the fenced back yard, narrowly missing the house to our left and a large tree to the right. Once we made the third ground contact, the basket stayed on the ground but was being dragged north. As we plowed through the north fence, we also made contact with a 7200 volt feeder line with the equator of the envelope. Then envelope quickly deflated over the power line. We were advised by neighbors that the power had been knocked out, but initiated standard procedures for a power line contact, fearing a reset. Once we had been notified from the power company that the power was off and would not reset, we removed the basket assembly from the area, but the envelope removal required a power company bucket truck. It was later learned that a quick strong gust of approximately 20 KTS had hit the airport to our south just mins prior to our encounter. There was no significant WX within 100 mi during the flight time that would have caused the gust.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BALLOONIST AND PAX ESCAPED WITH THEIR LIVES, AFTER A SOMEWHAT HARROWING LNDG LEFT THEIR BALLOON DEFLATED OVER A HIGH VOLTAGE PWR LINE.

Narrative: THIS INCIDENT INVOLVING BALLOON FLT OCCURRED DURING LNDG. WE HAD BEEN FLYING APPROX 45 MINS WHEN I SAW INDICATIONS THAT THE WINDS WERE STARTING TO INCREASE. I ATTEMPTED A LNDG IN A LARGE PASTURE, BUT AS WE WERE APCHING THE GND, WE ENCOUNTERED A L TURN. THE TURN PUT US ON A COURSE THAT WOULD HAVE TAKEN US DIRECTLY INTO A WX GATHERING STATION THAT WAS LOCATED ON THE FIELD. I CLBED TO CLR THE WX STATION AND SAW ANOTHER SMALLER FIELD N OF THE ORIGINAL FIELD, AND DECIDED TO ATTEMPT A LNDG THERE INSTEAD. I HAD TO MAINTAIN LEVEL FLT TO CLR THE ROAD AND PWR LINES THAT SEPARATED THE 2 FIELDS. ONCE CLR OF THE PWR LINES, I INITIATED A QUICK DSCNT INTO THE SECOND FIELD. AS WE WERE AT AN ALT OF 1-20 FT AGL, WE WERE HIT BY A STRONG TURB GUST THAT SLAMMED US INTO THE GND AND STARTED ACCELERATING US TO THE N TOWARDS A HOUSE WITH A FENCED BACKYARD. WE REBOUNDED AFTER THE INITIAL GND CONTACT AND HIT THE GND A SECOND TIME JUST S OF THE FENCE. I HAD THE VENT LINE IN MY HAND THROUGH BOTH OF THE GND CONTACTS AND HAD PULLED THE PARACHUTE TOP, BUT THAT WASN'T ENOUGH TO DEFLATE THE BALLOON IN THAT GUST. WE WERE THEN SUCKED BACK INTO THE AIR AND HIT THE GND A THIRD TIME WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE FENCED BACK YARD, NARROWLY MISSING THE HOUSE TO OUR L AND A LARGE TREE TO THE R. ONCE WE MADE THE THIRD GND CONTACT, THE BASKET STAYED ON THE GND BUT WAS BEING DRAGGED N. AS WE PLOWED THROUGH THE N FENCE, WE ALSO MADE CONTACT WITH A 7200 VOLT FEEDER LINE WITH THE EQUATOR OF THE ENVELOPE. THEN ENVELOPE QUICKLY DEFLATED OVER THE PWR LINE. WE WERE ADVISED BY NEIGHBORS THAT THE PWR HAD BEEN KNOCKED OUT, BUT INITIATED STANDARD PROCS FOR A PWR LINE CONTACT, FEARING A RESET. ONCE WE HAD BEEN NOTIFIED FROM THE PWR COMPANY THAT THE PWR WAS OFF AND WOULD NOT RESET, WE REMOVED THE BASKET ASSEMBLY FROM THE AREA, BUT THE ENVELOPE REMOVAL REQUIRED A PWR COMPANY BUCKET TRUCK. IT WAS LATER LEARNED THAT A QUICK STRONG GUST OF APPROX 20 KTS HAD HIT THE ARPT TO OUR S JUST MINS PRIOR TO OUR ENCOUNTER. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT WX WITHIN 100 MI DURING THE FLT TIME THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED THE GUST.

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.