A HOT AIR BALLOON; RUNNING LOW ON FUEL; HAD TO LAND IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA.

Narrative

ON MAR/WED/96 I TOOK OFF IN MY COMPANY'S HOT AIR BALLOON EXPECTING TO FLY E BY NE (BASED ON THE WIND DIRECTIONS GIVEN BY FLT SVC). AFTER TAKING OFF; I CLBED TO AN ACCEPTABLE ALT HDG DIRECTLY E. ABOUT 15 MINS INTO THE FLT; THE WIND SUDDENLY CHANGED AND THE BALLOON TURNED 90 DEGS HDG DIRECTLY N OVER A HIGHLY POPULATED AREA. AT THIS TIME; I MADE THE DECISION TO LAND AS SOON AS PRACTICAL. I ATTEMPTED A LNDG IN AN OPEN FIELD BEHIND A MAJOR SHOPPING COMPLEX. UPON DSNDING; THE WIND SHIFTED ME TO THE W OVER AN APARTMENT COMPLEX AND I WAVED OFF MY CREW INDICATING THAT I WOULD BE UNABLE TO LAND THERE. I THEN CLBED TO ALT AGAIN AND SEARCHED FOR ANOTHER ACCEPTABLE LNDG SPOT. I COULD SEE A LARGE SOCCER FIELD COMPLEX AND BEGAN A DSCNT INTO THIS FIELD. AGAIN; A SIDE-BREEZE TOOK ME OFF COURSE FOR LNDG; ONLY THIS TIME TO THE E OF THE DESIRED FIELD. LOOKING FURTHER AHEAD; I NOTICED A SCHOOLYARD. AS I APCHED THIS LNDG SPOT; A BREEZE SUDDENLY STOPPED MY FORWARD DIRECTION AND TOOK ME BACK TOWARDS THE W. SEEING NO FURTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO LAND; I ASCENDED TO SEVERAL THOUSAND FT TO FIND A MORE ACCEPTABLE WIND TAKING ME AWAY FROM THIS POPULATED AREA. IN LOOKING AT MY ACFT SECTIONAL; I WAS CERTAIN THAT I WAS OUT OF CTLED AIRSPACE AND WENT AS HIGH AS I COULD WITHOUT ENTERING IT. AT THIS ALT; THERE WAS NO WIND AT ALL AND THE BALLOON BASICALLY SAT THERE; BECALMED. LOOKING AT MY FUEL; I REALIZED THAT I WAS RUNNING VERY LOW AND THAT I WOULD NEED TO DSND SOON INSURING THAT I WOULD HAVE ENOUGH FUEL TO STOP A TERMINAL DSCNT AND LAND WITHOUT COMPLICATIONS. AFTER BRINGING THE BALLOON DOWN FROM ALT; I LOOKED FOR ANY OPENING IN THE RESIDENTIAL AREA I WAS FLYING OVER. IT BECAME EVIDENT TO ME THAT WITH THE MILD; UNPREDICTABLE BREEZES THAT I HAD BEEN ENCOUNTERING; IT WOULD BE NECESSARY FOR ME TO LAND IN A NEIGHBORHOOD STREET. I DID SO WITH MINIMAL FUEL REMAINING AND WITHOUT DAMAGE TO THE ACFT OR PROPERTY ON THE GND. NO ONE WAS HURT. THE PROB AROSE DUE TO THE WIND DIRECTIONS BEING DIFFERENT THAN FORECAST. OTHER CORRECTIVE ACTIONS AVAILABLE WERE TO HAVE MADE AN EARLIER ASCENT TO ALT IN SEARCH OF MORE FAVORABLE WINDS. IN THE FUTURE; I WILL MAKE SURE THAT THERE ARE NO WINDS (AT ANY ALT) THAT MAY TAKE ME IN AN UNDESIRABLE DIRECTION.