A HOT AIR BALLOON FLEW INTO PWR LINES.

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FLYING UNDER WAIVER FOR HOT AIR BALLOON COMPETITION. WINDS WERE APPROX 100 DEGS AT 10 MPH. VISIBILITY 4 MI IN HAZE. 2 SMALL PAX (300 LBS COMBINED WT) IN AN 88000 CUBIC FT BALLOON. THEY WERE BOTH SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES. I BRIEFED MY PAX ON PWR LINE AVOIDANCE; AND THIS FLT WAS THE MOST PWR LINE-CONSCIOUS FLT I HAVE EVER MADE. WE WERE ALL POINTING OUT SUPPORT STRUCTURES AND WIRES THE WHOLE FLT. THERE WAS AN OVERWHELMING NUMBER OF PROHIBITED ZONES (PZ) IN THE AREA; MAKING IT HARD TO FIND A SUITABLE LNDG SITE. AFTER A 1 HR FLT; WE SAW A 3 ACRE CUT FIELD WITH A WHITE SHEET (BALLOON INVITATION); THAT WAS NOT IN A PROHIBITED ZONE. WE DISCUSSED THE PWR LINE SIT; AND ALL AGREED THAT THE ONLY LINES WERE ON THE S END; POSING NO DANGER. I SET UP A 200 FPM DSCNT INTO THE FIELD. JUST AS WE CLRED THE TREES; WE SAW PWR LINES ABOUT 30 FT AHEAD; DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF US BELOW THE TREE TOP LEVEL. I BURNED TO TRY TO CLR THEM; SINCE OUR SPD WOULD PREVENT US FROM LNDG BEFORE WE HIT THEM. WE CONTACTED THE TOP LINE ABOUT HALF-WAY DOWN THE BASKET. IT STRETCHED; AND WE WERE OUT OF THERE WITH NO DAMAGE TO THE LINE; THE BALLOON; OR PEOPLE. AS WE FLEW OVER; WE SAW THE FIELD WAS ENTIRELY SURROUNDED BY LINES; BELOW TREE TOP LEVEL ON ALL BUT THE S SIDE. ALL THE SUPPORT STRUCTURES WERE HIDDEN IN THE TREES. I BELIEVE THAT: WE WERE VERY LUCKY. THERE WAS NO WAY TO HAVE SEEN THE LINES. FLYING INTO THE SUN IN HAZE DIDN'T HELP. THE EXCESSIVE NUMBER OF PROHIBITED ZONES MADE LNDG SITE SELECTION EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR'S 2 PAX; WENT TO SEE THE LANDOWNER AFTER THIS INCIDENT IN FULL SHERIFF'S UNIFORM. THE LANDOWNER WAS SEEN TO BE WAVING THE BALLOON IN TO A LNDG. AFTER THE PWR LINE CONTACT; HE WAS HEARD TO BE SAYING 'I GOT ONE! I GOT ONE!' THE SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES CONVINCED THE LANDOWNER THAT HE SHOULD REMOVE HIS WELCOME MAT IN THE FORM OF THE WHITE SHEET ON HIS FIELD. THE RPTR WANTS TO BELIEVE THAT THE LANDOWNER DID NOT KNOW THAT BALLOONISTS CAN BE KILLED BY PWR LINES. THE RPTR WILL THINK LONG AND HARD ABOUT FLYING IN THE COLUMBIA AREA AGAIN BECAUSE OF ALL OF THE PROHIBITED ZONES THAT WERE SET UP. THE LANDOWNER RELATIONS COMMITTEE FOR THE EVENT APPARENTLY TALKED MANY LANDOWNERS INTO PROHIBITING BALLOON LNDGS RATHER THAN PERMITTING THEM.