Wind speed caused balloon crash

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/bristol/8410592.stm

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A report into a ballooning accident near Bristol in which one person was injured suggests a change in wind speed and direction may have been to blame.

The Bailey's hot-air balloon had taken-off from the Bristol Balloon Fiesta in August with a pilot and 13 passengers.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said the pilot aborted one landing attempt. As he was descending again the basket hit some ornamental steps.

One of the passengers was treated in hospital for a bruised back.

The report said as the pilot was coming into land he was told that he was going to land on a golf putting green.

In order to avoid damaging the green, the pilot aborted the landing and took the balloon up and chose another landing site some 300m (about 330yd) further on.

'Challenging conditions'

He said his view of the new landing site was slightly obscured by trees, but he was confident this was not a problem unless the wind changed direction.

But as he came into land, the wind changed in speed and direction. The pilot tried to ascend again but was unable to.

The balloon's basket struck a low pillar at the end of a wall on some stone steps and the basket was dragged along before coming to rest on its side.

One of the passengers received bruising to his back which required an overnight stay in hospital.

All the other passengers were uninjured.

Another experienced pilot who witnessed the accident told the investigation that the surface wind was greater than that at altitude and he said other balloonists appeared to have found the landing conditions "challenging".