Narrative:

After a 35 min balloon flight I picked out the field of a farm about 3/4 mi ahead of my flight path as the location to terminate the flight. I reduced my balloon's altitude to 150 ft AGL to safely pass over power lines along the road at the front of the farm property. As we approached the power lines and prepared to land; I was vigilantly scanning the field ahead of my flight path for evidence of any obstacles or issues of concern that would be reasons for aborting the landing and flying on. Seeing nothing ahead; after passing over the power lines; I began to reduce altitude on my final descent to landing. As we descended into the landing area I had chosen; power lines became visible on my horizon approximately 50-100 ft ahead. I instructed my passenger (2) to get into the bottom of the basket; don't touch anything metal; telling them to prepare for a hard landing and not to exit the basket until instructed to do so. I instantly turned off my fuel tanks and pulled the red line to the parachute valve; opening the top of the balloon completely. I pulled the red line in as much as I could as I got down in the basket and prepared for the hard landing. At the time the power lines were spotted; the bottom of the aircraft (balloon) was about 20 ft AGL. When the balloon made contact with the power lines; there was a flash of light and the sound of flowing current. The balloon proceeded to go through and snap the power lines we had hit; then we hit the ground and the balloon laid over on its side. After a quick inventory of the situation and the well-being of the passenger; I instructed them where to exit the aircraft and how to proceed to safety away from the aircraft. 1) contributing factors to this incident included the fact that the power lines were suspended between poles that were over 300 ft apart; each pole was hidden behind a tree and the power lines had oxidized to a color that made them virtually invisible from the air. 2) the impending power line strike became evident when the balloon dropped low enough that the lines appeared above my horizon. 3)the only corrective action was to get the balloon on the ground immediately as described above. 4)I attribute my reactions to the situation to the on-going training and mental preparedness that I practice on every flight and to the on-going training received at the annual safety seminars that I attend.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: HOT AIR BALLOON PLT STRIKES PWR LINES ON LNDG.

Narrative: AFTER A 35 MIN BALLOON FLT I PICKED OUT THE FIELD OF A FARM ABOUT 3/4 MI AHEAD OF MY FLT PATH AS THE LOCATION TO TERMINATE THE FLT. I REDUCED MY BALLOON'S ALT TO 150 FT AGL TO SAFELY PASS OVER PWR LINES ALONG THE ROAD AT THE FRONT OF THE FARM PROPERTY. AS WE APCHED THE PWR LINES AND PREPARED TO LAND; I WAS VIGILANTLY SCANNING THE FIELD AHEAD OF MY FLT PATH FOR EVIDENCE OF ANY OBSTACLES OR ISSUES OF CONCERN THAT WOULD BE REASONS FOR ABORTING THE LNDG AND FLYING ON. SEEING NOTHING AHEAD; AFTER PASSING OVER THE PWR LINES; I BEGAN TO REDUCE ALT ON MY FINAL DSCNT TO LNDG. AS WE DSNDED INTO THE LNDG AREA I HAD CHOSEN; PWR LINES BECAME VISIBLE ON MY HORIZON APPROX 50-100 FT AHEAD. I INSTRUCTED MY PAX (2) TO GET INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE BASKET; DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING METAL; TELLING THEM TO PREPARE FOR A HARD LNDG AND NOT TO EXIT THE BASKET UNTIL INSTRUCTED TO DO SO. I INSTANTLY TURNED OFF MY FUEL TANKS AND PULLED THE RED LINE TO THE PARACHUTE VALVE; OPENING THE TOP OF THE BALLOON COMPLETELY. I PULLED THE RED LINE IN AS MUCH AS I COULD AS I GOT DOWN IN THE BASKET AND PREPARED FOR THE HARD LNDG. AT THE TIME THE PWR LINES WERE SPOTTED; THE BOTTOM OF THE ACFT (BALLOON) WAS ABOUT 20 FT AGL. WHEN THE BALLOON MADE CONTACT WITH THE PWR LINES; THERE WAS A FLASH OF LIGHT AND THE SOUND OF FLOWING CURRENT. THE BALLOON PROCEEDED TO GO THROUGH AND SNAP THE PWR LINES WE HAD HIT; THEN WE HIT THE GND AND THE BALLOON LAID OVER ON ITS SIDE. AFTER A QUICK INVENTORY OF THE SITUATION AND THE WELL-BEING OF THE PAX; I INSTRUCTED THEM WHERE TO EXIT THE ACFT AND HOW TO PROCEED TO SAFETY AWAY FROM THE ACFT. 1) CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THIS INCIDENT INCLUDED THE FACT THAT THE PWR LINES WERE SUSPENDED BTWN POLES THAT WERE OVER 300 FT APART; EACH POLE WAS HIDDEN BEHIND A TREE AND THE PWR LINES HAD OXIDIZED TO A COLOR THAT MADE THEM VIRTUALLY INVISIBLE FROM THE AIR. 2) THE IMPENDING PWR LINE STRIKE BECAME EVIDENT WHEN THE BALLOON DROPPED LOW ENOUGH THAT THE LINES APPEARED ABOVE MY HORIZON. 3)THE ONLY CORRECTIVE ACTION WAS TO GET THE BALLOON ON THE GND IMMEDIATELY AS DESCRIBED ABOVE. 4)I ATTRIBUTE MY REACTIONS TO THE SITUATION TO THE ON-GOING TRAINING AND MENTAL PREPAREDNESS THAT I PRACTICE ON EVERY FLT AND TO THE ON-GOING TRAINING RECEIVED AT THE ANNUAL SAFETY SEMINARS THAT I ATTEND.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.