Narrative:

Balloon: ultra-magic 250000 cubit ft, double-T partition basket, 11 passenger plus pilot on board. 50 of 75 gals propane left after landing. Surface wind on takeoff XA20: 4-5 KTS, surface wind on landing XB05: 7-10 KTS. Descending on approach to land in a field some 3/4 mi ahead, I found the wind carrying the balloon to the left of desired track. I called the crew to assist with landing in an empty car park a short distance downwind, but they could not make it there in time and I judged the wind too fast at 5-6 KTS at 50-60 ft AGL for the space available, so aborted the approach at some 40 ft at the 'threshold' of the car park. I burned to climb above tall trees beyond the car park in order to fly on, but wanted to stay at treetop level (80-100 ft), where the wind (probably affected by a small hill to my left) appeared to be more likely to take me towards the originally selected landing field. At around this time another balloon crew reported surface winds as 9-12 KTS about 1 mi upwind. After burning and climbing, I then vented in order to level off, now approaching a garden only 200-300 yards further downwind. We did not remain in level flight, as I had anticipated, but descended towards the garden lawn, despite burning to counteract that loss of altitude. I looked up to find that the rapid deflation valve (rdv) was partially open. My instant reaction was to close the rdv, but its red line was snagged around the altimeter and/or the fire extinguisher. Immediately downwind of the garden were tall trees again, followed by a power line. Still descending in a good breeze, in a split-second decision, having judged that there was insufficient time to attempt to untangle the rdv line (to climb out), I elected to ensure a landing on the lawn by opening the rdv further at about 30 ft. I instructed the passenger, who were already in a forward facing landing position, very succinctly to brace for a hard landing by bending their knees further and turning towards me (for their hips to absorb most of the forward jolt, rather than their knees). I touched down on the lawn and the balloon bounced forward some 30-40 ft, coming to a halt some 75 ft fom the tall trees and 200 ft from the power line. During this bounce, the bottom of the basket scraped a balustrade wall and caused limited damage to it. All passenger walked from the basket with some bruises and contusions, but there were no broken bones. There was no damage to the balloon. I subjectively estimate the impact on touchdown to have been in the order of 7 on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being when you would undoubtedly expect injuries). Comments and conclusions: 1) in the gusting surface winds, which had not been forecast, this was an extremely fortunate outcome of a potentially very serious mishap. 2) the red rdv line and the white vent line (vl) were routed together through the same burner frame opening to the same basket hook on the partition wall between the pilot compartment and one of the passenger compartments, as no other hooks were fitted (on either partition wall). Although I initially distinctly separated the 2 lines and pulled the vent line to level off around tree top level, I must have inadvertently grabbed the rdv line above my head, when continuing to pull. Apart from color, both lines are identical in feel, texture and appearance. An rdv line made of different caliber material (eg, strap, which is commonplace) would almost certainly have prevented inadvertent deployment of incorrect line. 3) the altimeter and fire extinguisher should not have been allowed to interfere with the free operation of either vent line or rdv line. I noticed when I arrived for my preflight check that the basket was laid down on its side 'upside down' and already attached to the envelope by the ground crew in preparation of the inflation. I did not correct this and it would not normally be a hazard, unless, as in this case, it means that the altimeter and fire extinguisher are placed in unsuitable locations.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN UNEXPECTED EQUIP PROB WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN A HARD LNDG MADE BY AN ULTRA-MAGIC BALLOON PLT DURING A LNDG IN A FIELD.

Narrative: BALLOON: ULTRA-MAGIC 250000 CUBIT FT, DOUBLE-T PARTITION BASKET, 11 PAX PLUS PLT ON BOARD. 50 OF 75 GALS PROPANE LEFT AFTER LNDG. SURFACE WIND ON TKOF XA20: 4-5 KTS, SURFACE WIND ON LNDG XB05: 7-10 KTS. DSNDING ON APCH TO LAND IN A FIELD SOME 3/4 MI AHEAD, I FOUND THE WIND CARRYING THE BALLOON TO THE L OF DESIRED TRACK. I CALLED THE CREW TO ASSIST WITH LNDG IN AN EMPTY CAR PARK A SHORT DISTANCE DOWNWIND, BUT THEY COULD NOT MAKE IT THERE IN TIME AND I JUDGED THE WIND TOO FAST AT 5-6 KTS AT 50-60 FT AGL FOR THE SPACE AVAILABLE, SO ABORTED THE APCH AT SOME 40 FT AT THE 'THRESHOLD' OF THE CAR PARK. I BURNED TO CLB ABOVE TALL TREES BEYOND THE CAR PARK IN ORDER TO FLY ON, BUT WANTED TO STAY AT TREETOP LEVEL (80-100 FT), WHERE THE WIND (PROBABLY AFFECTED BY A SMALL HILL TO MY L) APPEARED TO BE MORE LIKELY TO TAKE ME TOWARDS THE ORIGINALLY SELECTED LNDG FIELD. AT AROUND THIS TIME ANOTHER BALLOON CREW RPTED SURFACE WINDS AS 9-12 KTS ABOUT 1 MI UPWIND. AFTER BURNING AND CLBING, I THEN VENTED IN ORDER TO LEVEL OFF, NOW APCHING A GARDEN ONLY 200-300 YARDS FURTHER DOWNWIND. WE DID NOT REMAIN IN LEVEL FLT, AS I HAD ANTICIPATED, BUT DSNDED TOWARDS THE GARDEN LAWN, DESPITE BURNING TO COUNTERACT THAT LOSS OF ALT. I LOOKED UP TO FIND THAT THE RAPID DEFLATION VALVE (RDV) WAS PARTIALLY OPEN. MY INSTANT REACTION WAS TO CLOSE THE RDV, BUT ITS RED LINE WAS SNAGGED AROUND THE ALTIMETER AND/OR THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER. IMMEDIATELY DOWNWIND OF THE GARDEN WERE TALL TREES AGAIN, FOLLOWED BY A PWR LINE. STILL DSNDING IN A GOOD BREEZE, IN A SPLIT-SECOND DECISION, HAVING JUDGED THAT THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT TIME TO ATTEMPT TO UNTANGLE THE RDV LINE (TO CLB OUT), I ELECTED TO ENSURE A LNDG ON THE LAWN BY OPENING THE RDV FURTHER AT ABOUT 30 FT. I INSTRUCTED THE PAX, WHO WERE ALREADY IN A FORWARD FACING LNDG POS, VERY SUCCINCTLY TO BRACE FOR A HARD LNDG BY BENDING THEIR KNEES FURTHER AND TURNING TOWARDS ME (FOR THEIR HIPS TO ABSORB MOST OF THE FORWARD JOLT, RATHER THAN THEIR KNEES). I TOUCHED DOWN ON THE LAWN AND THE BALLOON BOUNCED FORWARD SOME 30-40 FT, COMING TO A HALT SOME 75 FT FOM THE TALL TREES AND 200 FT FROM THE PWR LINE. DURING THIS BOUNCE, THE BOTTOM OF THE BASKET SCRAPED A BALUSTRADE WALL AND CAUSED LIMITED DAMAGE TO IT. ALL PAX WALKED FROM THE BASKET WITH SOME BRUISES AND CONTUSIONS, BUT THERE WERE NO BROKEN BONES. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE BALLOON. I SUBJECTIVELY ESTIMATE THE IMPACT ON TOUCHDOWN TO HAVE BEEN IN THE ORDER OF 7 ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 10 (10 BEING WHEN YOU WOULD UNDOUBTEDLY EXPECT INJURIES). COMMENTS AND CONCLUSIONS: 1) IN THE GUSTING SURFACE WINDS, WHICH HAD NOT BEEN FORECAST, THIS WAS AN EXTREMELY FORTUNATE OUTCOME OF A POTENTIALLY VERY SERIOUS MISHAP. 2) THE RED RDV LINE AND THE WHITE VENT LINE (VL) WERE ROUTED TOGETHER THROUGH THE SAME BURNER FRAME OPENING TO THE SAME BASKET HOOK ON THE PARTITION WALL BTWN THE PLT COMPARTMENT AND ONE OF THE PAX COMPARTMENTS, AS NO OTHER HOOKS WERE FITTED (ON EITHER PARTITION WALL). ALTHOUGH I INITIALLY DISTINCTLY SEPARATED THE 2 LINES AND PULLED THE VENT LINE TO LEVEL OFF AROUND TREE TOP LEVEL, I MUST HAVE INADVERTENTLY GRABBED THE RDV LINE ABOVE MY HEAD, WHEN CONTINUING TO PULL. APART FROM COLOR, BOTH LINES ARE IDENTICAL IN FEEL, TEXTURE AND APPEARANCE. AN RDV LINE MADE OF DIFFERENT CALIBER MATERIAL (EG, STRAP, WHICH IS COMMONPLACE) WOULD ALMOST CERTAINLY HAVE PREVENTED INADVERTENT DEPLOYMENT OF INCORRECT LINE. 3) THE ALTIMETER AND FIRE EXTINGUISHER SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO INTERFERE WITH THE FREE OP OF EITHER VENT LINE OR RDV LINE. I NOTICED WHEN I ARRIVED FOR MY PREFLT CHK THAT THE BASKET WAS LAID DOWN ON ITS SIDE 'UPSIDE DOWN' AND ALREADY ATTACHED TO THE ENVELOPE BY THE GND CREW IN PREPARATION OF THE INFLATION. I DID NOT CORRECT THIS AND IT WOULD NOT NORMALLY BE A HAZARD, UNLESS, AS IN THIS CASE, IT MEANS THAT THE ALTIMETER AND FIRE EXTINGUISHER ARE PLACED IN UNSUITABLE LOCATIONS.

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.