A HOT AIR BALLOON PLT INJURED SOME OF HIS PAX ON A HIGH WIND LNDG.

1995-12 · NASA ASRS report 324367

Date: 1995-12 · Aircraft: Balloon

Anomalies: conflict-ground-conflict|critical|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence

Synopsis

A HOT AIR BALLOON PLT INJURED SOME OF HIS PAX ON A HIGH WIND LNDG.

Narrative

I LAUNCHED OUR HOT AIR BALLOON FROM OUR USUAL LAUNCH SITE IN APPLE VALLEY; CA. THE WX WAS CLR AND CALM. THE FIRST FLT OF 2 PAX WAS NORMAL. HAD A CALM LNDG. CHANGED OUT PAX. BRIEFED NEW PAX ABOUT FLT PROCS AND LNDG. CLBED TO 100 FT OVER NEXT SET OF HILLS; STILL GOING E. THAT SET OF HILLS IS APPROX 1400 FT MSL AT THE TOP. CLBED TO 3000 FT AGL. A GND CREW MEMBER CALLED ON THE RADIO THAT GND WINDS WERE PICKING UP. I BRIEFED THE PAX ON HIGH WIND LNDGS AGAIN. THE WIND PICKED UP TO 20 MPH APPROX. I TRIED TO MAKE 2 LNDGS BEFORE THE LAST FINAL TOUCH DOWN. ON THE LAST APCH; WE LEVELED OFF AT APPROX 18 FT ABOVE GND AND ACTUATED THE TOP VENT FULLY TO RELEASE THE HOT AIR AND DEFLATE THE ENVELOPE. WE DRAGGED 1200-1500 FT AND WERE STOPPED BY A CHAIN LINK FENCE AND A METAL SHED AT XA00. BECAUSE OF APPARENT SCRATCHES AND BRUISES ON THE PAX AND PLT AND A CREW MEMBER STEPPED ON A NAIL; 911 WAS CALLED AND THE PARAMEDICS CAME AND CHKED OUT THE PAX AND THE GND CREW PERSON'S FOOT. I PACKED UP THE BALLOON AND PAX QUICKLY. I GAVE THE LAND OWNER MY NAME AND PHONE NUMBER. ALL CREW AND PAX TRAVELED BACK TO THE LAUNCH FIELD. I INSISTED THE PAX GO TO THE EMER ROOM TO BE CHKED OUT; SO I RODE ALONG WITH THEM TO HOSPITAL TO FIND OUT THAT THERE WOULD BE A 2-3 HR WAIT. THE PAX SAID THEY'D RATHER NOT WAIT. THEY'D GO TO THEIR OWN DOCTOR IF NEED BE. FLT CONDITIONS WERE NORMAL AND AMBIENT TEMP WAS 37-55 DEG F. ENVELOPE TEMP RANGE WAS 140-180 DEGS. THE CAUSE OF THE PROB WAS AN ACT OF NATURE THAT COULD NOT BE CTLED OR PREVENTED.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.

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