A LOW TIME BALLOON PLT INJURES ONE OF HIS PAX WHEN HE DRAGS HIS BASKET THROUGH SOME TREES AND MAKES A HARD LNDG IN A SOYBEAN FIELD. PLT RPTED ENCOUNTERING UNFORECAST WINDS AND CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY.

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