Narrative:

I was competing in a hot air balloon event with 2 passenger on board in the vicinity of a local lake. We had completed the competition task and started looking for a landing site. At that time I had 75% fuel capacity available and approximately 40 mins before sunset there were no visible landing sites in our path, only trees and the surrounding lake. I climbed to approximately 1000 ft AGL to see what was available. I saw many fields approximately 2 mi ahead, on the other side of the lake. I had a 10-12 knot wind per my GPS, and proceeded for them. As I started down, in order to make a landing approach, I found that the lower wind direction had changed from 090 degrees to 045 degrees, which then started taking us down the center of the lake area we were crossing. I went back to 1000 ft AGL, but by the time I reached my desired altitude, those winds had shifted 045 degrees as well. I then proceeded to an altitude of approximately 50 ft over the open water to determine the ground wind direction. We found a favorable wind that took us in the direction of the shore. The visible shoreline was completely covered with trees but that direction would have taken us to the fields I had chosen earlier. As we crossed the shoreline and prepared for landing in the first available spot, we crossed a small cove with an open but small beach. I attempted a landing on the beach area, but as I approached water level, the winds changed and started taking us out toward the main portion of the lake. There were a few boats in the area, and one offered to help. We threw our drop line to the boat, but instead of taking us towards shore, they headed out into the open part of the lake. By the time we could get them to release the drop line, we were approximately 100 ft from shore, and the basket had dipped into the water from the wind and pulling effect of the boat. We were just a few mins from sundown by this time, and our fuel was sitting at approximately 10%. We started picking up speed, heading for the opposite side of the lake, towards a spillway. Another boat came to assist, and did help us divert our course to the shore, with the basket dipping into the water on multiple occasions as we fought the wind direction. We finally reached shore just as the fuel level was reaching 0% at approximately 40 mins after sundown. I landed the balloon safely on the narrow shore, but the balloon envelope draped over a 35 ft tree as it deflated. We were able to recover the balloon envelope from the tree with no visible damage to the balloon system.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A HOT AIR BALLOON PLT, WITH THE HELP OF A BOAT, IS FINALLY ABLE TO GET THE BALLOON ON THE GND AFTER DARK AND NO FUEL REMAINING.

Narrative: I WAS COMPETING IN A HOT AIR BALLOON EVENT WITH 2 PAX ON BOARD IN THE VICINITY OF A LOCAL LAKE. WE HAD COMPLETED THE COMPETITION TASK AND STARTED LOOKING FOR A LNDG SITE. AT THAT TIME I HAD 75% FUEL CAPACITY AVAILABLE AND APPROX 40 MINS BEFORE SUNSET THERE WERE NO VISIBLE LNDG SITES IN OUR PATH, ONLY TREES AND THE SURROUNDING LAKE. I CLBED TO APPROX 1000 FT AGL TO SEE WHAT WAS AVAILABLE. I SAW MANY FIELDS APPROX 2 MI AHEAD, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LAKE. I HAD A 10-12 KNOT WIND PER MY GPS, AND PROCEEDED FOR THEM. AS I STARTED DOWN, IN ORDER TO MAKE A LNDG APCH, I FOUND THAT THE LOWER WIND DIRECTION HAD CHANGED FROM 090 DEGS TO 045 DEGS, WHICH THEN STARTED TAKING US DOWN THE CTR OF THE LAKE AREA WE WERE XING. I WENT BACK TO 1000 FT AGL, BUT BY THE TIME I REACHED MY DESIRED ALT, THOSE WINDS HAD SHIFTED 045 DEGS AS WELL. I THEN PROCEEDED TO AN ALT OF APPROX 50 FT OVER THE OPEN WATER TO DETERMINE THE GND WIND DIRECTION. WE FOUND A FAVORABLE WIND THAT TOOK US IN THE DIRECTION OF THE SHORE. THE VISIBLE SHORELINE WAS COMPLETELY COVERED WITH TREES BUT THAT DIRECTION WOULD HAVE TAKEN US TO THE FIELDS I HAD CHOSEN EARLIER. AS WE CROSSED THE SHORELINE AND PREPARED FOR LNDG IN THE FIRST AVAILABLE SPOT, WE CROSSED A SMALL COVE WITH AN OPEN BUT SMALL BEACH. I ATTEMPTED A LNDG ON THE BEACH AREA, BUT AS I APCHED WATER LEVEL, THE WINDS CHANGED AND STARTED TAKING US OUT TOWARD THE MAIN PORTION OF THE LAKE. THERE WERE A FEW BOATS IN THE AREA, AND ONE OFFERED TO HELP. WE THREW OUR DROP LINE TO THE BOAT, BUT INSTEAD OF TAKING US TOWARDS SHORE, THEY HEADED OUT INTO THE OPEN PART OF THE LAKE. BY THE TIME WE COULD GET THEM TO RELEASE THE DROP LINE, WE WERE APPROX 100 FT FROM SHORE, AND THE BASKET HAD DIPPED INTO THE WATER FROM THE WIND AND PULLING EFFECT OF THE BOAT. WE WERE JUST A FEW MINS FROM SUNDOWN BY THIS TIME, AND OUR FUEL WAS SITTING AT APPROX 10%. WE STARTED PICKING UP SPD, HDG FOR THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE LAKE, TOWARDS A SPILLWAY. ANOTHER BOAT CAME TO ASSIST, AND DID HELP US DIVERT OUR COURSE TO THE SHORE, WITH THE BASKET DIPPING INTO THE WATER ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS AS WE FOUGHT THE WIND DIRECTION. WE FINALLY REACHED SHORE JUST AS THE FUEL LEVEL WAS REACHING 0% AT APPROX 40 MINS AFTER SUNDOWN. I LANDED THE BALLOON SAFELY ON THE NARROW SHORE, BUT THE BALLOON ENVELOPE DRAPED OVER A 35 FT TREE AS IT DEFLATED. WE WERE ABLE TO RECOVER THE BALLOON ENVELOPE FROM THE TREE WITH NO VISIBLE DAMAGE TO THE BALLOON SYS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.