1 BALLOON WAS AIRBORNE WHEN A SECOND WAS BEING INFLATED AND LIFTED OFF BUMPING INTO THE AIRBORNE BALLOON. PLT OF BALLOON #1 ATTEMPTED TO KEEP THE WICKER FROM DAMAGING BALLOON #2 AND RECEIVED FACIAL ABRASIONS.

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BALLOON #1 HAD HOT INFLATED; REACHED EQUILIBRIUM AND LIFTED OFF AT 150 FPM VERT RISE HEADED IN AN ESE DIRECTION. BALLOON #2 WAS IN THE COLD INFLATION MODE AS #1 LIFTED OFF. BALLOON #2 WAS HOT INFLATED AS #1 APCHED. PLT OF #2 DID NOT LOOK BEHIND HIM PRIOR TO HOT INFLATION TO SEE IF THERE WOULD BE ANY CONFLICTS. (NOT UNLIKE A PLANE TAXIING OUT OF AN INTXN ONTO A RWY WITHOUT LOOKING TOWARDS THE END OF THE RWY FOR ANOTHER PLANE DEPARTING.) BALLOON #1 STRUCK THE ENVELOPE OF #2 AND SLID PAST AND UP IT. NO DAMAGE WAS DONE TO EITHER ACFT THOUGH THE PLT OF BALLOON #1 DID RECEIVE SOME MINOR FACIAL ABRASIONS FROM THE NYLON OF ENVELOPE #2 AS HE PROTECTED THE #2 ENVELOPE FROM THE #1 BASKET WICKER. PER 91.113 FAR PLT #1 WAS AWARE OF THE BALLOONS IN HIS PATH AND THEIR RELATIVE DEGS OF INFLATION AND LIFT-OFF. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES WHO SAW BALLOON #2 RISE UP TO MEET ONCOMING #1; PLT #2 APPARENTLY WAS CONCENTRATING ON HIS BALLOON ALONE AND NOT AWARE OF OTHERS AROUND HIM. PLT #1 HAD NO CHANCE TO AVOID BALLOON #2. PLT #2 BELIEVES HE HAD THE RIGHT OF WAY BUT FAILED TO BE VIGILANT AND TO SEE AND AVOID.