HOT AIR BALLOON FLEW VERY LOW OVER SPECTATORS DURING FLYING MEET.

Narrative

AS PART OF MY PARTICIPATION IN THE ALBUQUERQUE INTL BALLOON FIESTA; I LAUNCHED OFF FIELD AND FLEW TO THE DESIGNATED TARGET AREA WITH SEVERAL CORRECTIONS FOR WIND DIRECTION. AFTER LEVELING OUT ON MY FINAL APCH AT 30'; WHILE CONCENTRATING ON THE TARGET AREA; I LET THE BALLOON COOL MORE THAN I REALIZED. ALTHOUGH I DROPPED THE MARKER FROM OVER 25'; THE BALLOON DSNDED TO A HT OF ABOUT 6' IN AN AREA WHERE SPECTATORS HAD BEEN OBSERVING THE COMPETITION. THE OFFICIALS ON THE GND; NOT KNOWING WHETHER I WOULD DSND EVEN LOWER; HAD DISPERSED THE CROWD. ALTHOUGH I WAS IN CONTROL OF MY ACFT; WITH NO THREAT EITHER TO THE ACFT OR ITS PAX; I WAS CONCERNED BY THE POTENTIAL PROX OF MY BALLOON TO THE SPECTATORS IF THEY HAD NOT DISPERSED. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS INCIDENT INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: 1) UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE HIGHER ALBUQUERQUE ALT. THE RESPONSE TIME TO MY BURNING WAS NOT WHAT I EXPECTED EVEN THOUGH I HAD ANTICIPATED A SLOWER RESPONSE BASED ON PRIOR YRS EXPERIENCE IN OTHER BALLOON FIESTAS. THIS WAS A PARTICULARLY WARM DAY AND THE BALLOON SEEMED UNUSUALLY LESS RESPONSIVE THAN I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED. 2) BECAUSE OF A PERSONAL SCHEDULE CONFLICT; I DID NOT ARRIVE IN ALBUQUERQUE IN TIME FOR THE MASS ASCENSIONS ON SAT AND SUN; WHICH WOULD HAVE HELPED ACCLIMATE ME TO THE WX AND THE ALT PRIOR TO THE COMPETITION FLTS. IN FACT; THIS WAS MY FIRST FLT AT THE FIESTA. 3) I HAD BEEN INFORMED BY AN OFFICIAL AT CHK IN THAT THE FEDERAL AVIATION REGS HAD BEEN WAIVED; THE MARKER MUST BE THROWN FROM BTWN 200 AND 25' AGL; AND THAT I COULD CHOOSE TO LAND AT THE FIELD AFTER TOSSING THE MARKER; BUT THAT I MUST THEN DEFLATE AND NOT FLY AGAIN. BECAUSE OF THIS; I WAS IN FACT SURPRISED TO FIND SPECTATOR DOWNWIND OF THE TARGET AREA WHICH IS WHERE ONE WOULD HAVE TO HAVE LANDED AFTER THROWING AT THE TARGET. AS I FLEW OUT OF THE TARGET AREA AT ABOUT 6' AND CLBING; AN OFFICIAL CALLED TO ME THAT I WAS LOWER THAN 25'. I RESPONDED THAT I HAD TOSSED MY MARKER FROM OVER 25'. I LOOKED BACK FOR A RESPONSE AND HE WAVED ME OFF. I PROCEEDED ON TO A NORMAL LNDG APPROX 1 MI AWAY. THIS WORD FROM THE OFFICIAL WAS THE FIRST INDICATION I HAD THAT I MIGHT HAVE VIOLATED THE COMPETITION RULES. AFTER LNDG; I SPOKE WITH AN OFFICIAL WHO SAID HE WOULD GET BACK TO ME. I SUGGESTED TO HIM THAT SPECTATORS NOT BE ALLOWED TO STAND DOWNWIND OF THE TARGET.