Hot air balloon makes unexpected landing near South Island town
Cold and dense winds have caused a hot air balloon to land unexpectedly in a small South Island town.
Chief pilot Carrick McLallan was flying the hot air balloon near Lake Hayes Estate this morning when the incident unfolded.
Ten passengers, including eight Australian tourists, were on board when a gust of drainage wind went past.
Drainage wind is a downslope wind caused by the gravitational flow of cold, dense air.
Ten passengers, including eight Australians, were on board this morning. Photo / Elle McCammon
McLallan said he “could have flown for another hour” but made the call to land in a nearby flat patch.
“I could’ve flown to 10,000ft and gone for another hour,” he said.
“But another [landing] spot may be another half an hour away.”
Chief pilot Carrick McLallan landed safely near Lake Hayes Estate. Photo / Elle McCammon
McLallan said all group members were happy and had landed safely.
Hot air balloon crashes in Methven
It comes just days after a hot air balloon crashed in Methven when it became caught in trees.
Corey Masters was on his way to work when the crash occurred, leaving two people with minor injuries.
Masters had stopped to snap a picture of the hot air balloons, which are in the town for the Fire & Ice Hot Air Balloon Glow and Laser Festival on Sunday, when he noticed one start to descend.
He recalled seeing a man in the basket attempt to give it gas.
“It was too late to go up, and then it just came crashing down,” Masters said.
The hot air balloons were a part of the Fire & Ice Hot Air Balloon Glow and Laser Festival being held in Methven.
He jumped out of his car and was one of the first on the scene.
“This lady came running past me, and she’s like, ‘I’m an off-service ambo.’
“She just handed me her phone, and it was already on 111 and I talked to them and got them to come over.”
Masters initially thought just one person had been in the basket, unaware that two others were crouched down.
“I didn’t realise two people were sitting down in it. They were a bit older, they must have fallen down.
“It was pretty quick. A lot of people were there.
“There’s a lot of volunteers in our town, so they quickly rushed some around, and it was cold, so they got them into cars.”
Fire and Emergency New Zealand shift manager Blair Walklin said crews responded to a call shortly after 8am on Fri.
“On arrival, one hot air balloon has come down on the road and crews are assisting on scene near removing the hot air balloon from the road that got caught up in some trees.”
Nobody needed to be freed from the basket after it came down.
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