A HOT AIR BALLOON CLBED INTO ANOTHER BALLOON. THE CLBING BALLOON SUFFERED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE AND SOME INJURIES WHILE THE OTHER BALLOON HAD NO INJURY OR DAMAGE.

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I WAS FLYING LEVEL OVER THE N END OF THE GRAVEL PIT; AT APPROX 500 FT AGL. MY PAX AND I NOTICED 2 BALLOONS SEVERAL HUNDRED FT BELOW; FLYING IN CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER. THEY WERE SLIGHTLY N OF MY BALLOON AND BEHIND MY FLT PATH. WE NOTICED 1 OF THE BALLOONS BEGIN AN ASCENT TOWARDS US. I IMMEDIATELY STARTED TO BURN TO CLB OUT OF HIS PATH. HE CONTINUED TO CLB AT WHAT APPEARED TO BE A HIGH RATE OF SPD. I BURNED CONTINUOUSLY TRYING TO OUT CLB HIM; AND SAW THAT THE VSI INDICATED WE WERE CLBING AT 400 FPM WHEN HIS BALLOON TOP CAUGHT UP WITH MY BASKET. I INSTRUCTED MY PAX TO GET DOWN IN THE BOTTOM OF THE BASKET AND HANG ON. MY BASKET TIPPED ON IMPACT AND BECAME TANGLED IN FABRIC AND LOAD TAPES FROM THE OTHER BALLOON. BOTH BALLOONS WERE STILL CLBING; AND THE IMPACT AND ESCAPING AIR FROM THE OTHER BALLOON EXTINGUISHED MY PLT LIGHT. AFTER I WAS ABLE TO UNTANGLE MY BASKET AND BURNER FROM THE FABRIC AND LOAD TAPES; MY BALLOON ASCENDED UP AND AWAY AS HIS BALLOON BEGAN DSNDING TO THE GND. I VENTED TO STOP MY ASCENT; RELIT MY PLT LIGHT; AND IMMEDIATELY LANDED AND DEFLATED MY BALLOON. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: THE RPTING PLT HAD NO INJURIES TO HERSELF OR HER PAX AND THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO HER BALLOON. THE INTRUDER BALLOON HAD MINOR; UNSPECIFIED; INJURIES TO ITS PLT AND/OR PAX. THE INTRUDER BALLOON HAD A 25 FT LONG TEAR IN THE ENVELOPE AND SUFFERED BURNS AND MELTS ON ITS DSCNT TO LAND. AS THE BASKET LANDED ON ITS EDGE; THERE WAS STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE FLOOR. THE RPTR'S BASKET WAS ENTIRELY INSIDE THE INTRUDERS' ENVELOPE AND THE INTRUDERS' HORIZ LOAD TAPES WERE TANGLED ON THE RPTR'S BURNER. DURING THE ALBUQUERQUE BALLOON FIESTA; THERE IS A 200 FPM ASCENT AND DSCNT RATE LIMIT ON ALL PARTICIPANTS TO TRY TO PREVENT THIS KIND OF OCCURRENCE. THE RPTR HAD TO CLB AT 500 FPM TO TRY TO GET OUT OF THE WAY OF THE INTRUDER.