Incident Overview
Following a landing, a balloon pilot shut down the burner before the aircraft was secured to the ground. At that point, passengers egressed from the basket, contrary to the pilot's explicit instructions to remain inside until told to exit. The decrease in weight caused the balloon to lift off and drift into nearby power lines. Because the burner was shut down, the pilot had no means of vertical control, preventing any corrective action.
Sequence of Events
The pilot had landed the balloon and, prior to securing it to the ground, turned off the burner. Despite the pilot's directive to stay in the basket until she gave the go-ahead, passengers exited. The sudden reduction in weight allowed the balloon to become airborne again. Without the burner operational, the pilot could not control the balloon's ascent or descent, and it drifted into power lines.
Contributing Circumstances
The pilot's decision to shut down the burner before securing the balloon left no ability to manage vertical movement. The passengers' noncompliance with the pilot's instructions directly led to the weight change that initiated the unintended ascent. The combination of these actions resulted in the balloon contacting power lines.