Incident Details
A pilot reported that she was flying the lead balloon in a group of 22 balloons. She took off and climbed to approximately 1,000 feet above ground level (agl), flying a south-to-north route. The surface winds were from the south at about 3 knots.
Sequence of Events
The pilot selected a landing site and descended to a lower altitude to set up her approach. A ground crewmember checked the surface winds with a windmeter and reported that they were from the south at 2.5 knots. The pilot flew over a residential area and descended again after clearing the last house. She reported that she checked carefully for power lines and poles.
She vented the balloon to descend, reached for the rip line, and suddenly saw a power line outlined against the sky. The power lines arced and cut the cables that connect the balloon to the basket. The basket separated and fell about 20 feet to the ground. The power lines remained intact. The pilot reported that she had not experienced any problems with the balloon prior to impacting the power lines.