HOT AIR BALLOON ENCOUNTERED HIGH WINDS AFTER AIRBORNE. PLT PREPARED FOR AND CONDUCTED A HARD LNDG; DEFLATING THE CANOPY.

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I CHKED THE WX ON THE INTERNET BEFORE LEAVING THE HOTEL FOR THE LAUNCH FIELD. FORECASTED WINDS WERE 7 KTS OUT OF THE N. WINDS ALOFT WERE IN THE TEENS AT 9 AND 12000 FT. THE FORECAST FOR AFTER XA00 AM WAS FOR VARIABLE WINDS AT 6 KTS. THE WX RPTS ON THE FIELD MIRRORED THOSE THAT I HAD RECEIVED ON THE INTERNET. THE EVENT OPENED THE FIELD FOR FLT. WE FLEW FROM THE FIELD; CLBED OUT OF THE SOUTHERLY FLOW AT ABOUT 2000 FT AGL. WE THEN HAD A TRACK TO THE NNW. AFTER ABOUT 1 1/2 HRS OF FLYING WE WERE WITNESSING HARD LNDGS. I SAW 2 BALLOONS TO THE S GO INTO SOME SAGE BRUSH AT WHAT LOOKED LIKE A REASONABLE SPD; SO I MANEUVERED INTO POS TO LAND IN THE SAME AREA. WHEN I GOT CLOSE TO THE AREA AND TREETOP HIGH WE WERE STILL MOVING TOO FAST; SO I CLBED BACK UP INTO THE SLOWER WINDS AND FOUND A NORTHWESTERLY FLOW. THIS TRACK WOULD EVENTUALLY TAKE ME N OF A VERY LARGE CONSTRUCTION SITE WITH GRADED SAND. AT APPROX 2 1/2 HRS INTO THE FLT I PREPARED MYSELF AND MY PAX FOR A HARD HIGH WIND LNDG. MY VENT LINE AND DEFLATION LINE WERE ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE BASKET. I HAD MY MOST EXPERIENCED CREW PERSON PULL THE VENT LINE ON MY COMMAND WHILE I PULLED THE DEFLATION LINE AT ABOUT 50-75 FT ABOVE THE SURFACE JUST AS WE CLRED THE HOUSES AND ENTERED THE NE CORNER OF THE CONSTRUCTION SITE. WE HIT EXTREMELY HARD AND WHEN WE CAME TO A STOP THE BALLOON HAD RIGHTED ITSELF AND THE DEFLATION AND VENT LINES WERE NOW IN FRONT OR ON THE GND SIDE OF THE BASKET. THE 3 OF US WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL AND RELEASED AFTER X-RAYS SHOWED NO BROKEN BONES. I DON'T BELIEVE I COULD HAVE DONE ANY DIFFERENTLY TO PREVENT SUCH AN OUTCOME AS THE HIGH WINDS WERE NEITHER EXPECTED OR PREDICTED.