A BALLOONIST AND PAX ESCAPED WITH THEIR LIVES; AFTER A SOMEWHAT HARROWING LNDG LEFT THEIR BALLOON DEFLATED OVER A HIGH VOLTAGE PWR LINE.

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THIS INCIDENT INVOLVING BALLOON FLT OCCURRED DURING LNDG. WE HAD BEEN FLYING APPROX 45 MINS WHEN I SAW INDICATIONS THAT THE WINDS WERE STARTING TO INCREASE. I ATTEMPTED A LNDG IN A LARGE PASTURE; BUT AS WE WERE APCHING THE GND; WE ENCOUNTERED A L TURN. THE TURN PUT US ON A COURSE THAT WOULD HAVE TAKEN US DIRECTLY INTO A WX GATHERING STATION THAT WAS LOCATED ON THE FIELD. I CLBED TO CLR THE WX STATION AND SAW ANOTHER SMALLER FIELD N OF THE ORIGINAL FIELD; AND DECIDED TO ATTEMPT A LNDG THERE INSTEAD. I HAD TO MAINTAIN LEVEL FLT TO CLR THE ROAD AND PWR LINES THAT SEPARATED THE 2 FIELDS. ONCE CLR OF THE PWR LINES; I INITIATED A QUICK DSCNT INTO THE SECOND FIELD. AS WE WERE AT AN ALT OF 1-20 FT AGL; WE WERE HIT BY A STRONG TURB GUST THAT SLAMMED US INTO THE GND AND STARTED ACCELERATING US TO THE N TOWARDS A HOUSE WITH A FENCED BACKYARD. WE REBOUNDED AFTER THE INITIAL GND CONTACT AND HIT THE GND A SECOND TIME JUST S OF THE FENCE. I HAD THE VENT LINE IN MY HAND THROUGH BOTH OF THE GND CONTACTS AND HAD PULLED THE PARACHUTE TOP; BUT THAT WASN'T ENOUGH TO DEFLATE THE BALLOON IN THAT GUST. WE WERE THEN SUCKED BACK INTO THE AIR AND HIT THE GND A THIRD TIME WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE FENCED BACK YARD; NARROWLY MISSING THE HOUSE TO OUR L AND A LARGE TREE TO THE R. ONCE WE MADE THE THIRD GND CONTACT; THE BASKET STAYED ON THE GND BUT WAS BEING DRAGGED N. AS WE PLOWED THROUGH THE N FENCE; WE ALSO MADE CONTACT WITH A 7200 VOLT FEEDER LINE WITH THE EQUATOR OF THE ENVELOPE. THEN ENVELOPE QUICKLY DEFLATED OVER THE PWR LINE. WE WERE ADVISED BY NEIGHBORS THAT THE PWR HAD BEEN KNOCKED OUT; BUT INITIATED STANDARD PROCS FOR A PWR LINE CONTACT; FEARING A RESET. ONCE WE HAD BEEN NOTIFIED FROM THE PWR COMPANY THAT THE PWR WAS OFF AND WOULD NOT RESET; WE REMOVED THE BASKET ASSEMBLY FROM THE AREA; BUT THE ENVELOPE REMOVAL REQUIRED A PWR COMPANY BUCKET TRUCK. IT WAS LATER LEARNED THAT A QUICK STRONG GUST OF APPROX 20 KTS HAD HIT THE ARPT TO OUR S JUST MINS PRIOR TO OUR ENCOUNTER. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT WX WITHIN 100 MI DURING THE FLT TIME THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED THE GUST.