Strange ‘burst of air’ downs passenger balloon

Jace Radke

Thursday, Oct. 26, 2000 | 10:41 a.m.

What was supposed to be a leisurely Wednesday afternoon hot air balloon flight turned into an emergency when an air gust forced a balloon to crash southwest of Lone Mountain.

The accident happened at about 3:30 p.m. when an air burst over the detention basin near Jensen Street and Alexander Road forced an Adventure Balloon Tours craft piloted by Hugh Ehrlich to crash into an area of desert scrub.

"Everything was calm and going good, when this crazy burst of air pushed us down," Ehrlich said. "I can't even describe it, but I've never run into anything like it in the 21 years I've been doing this."

Ehrlich and the six passengers in the balloon were coming down for a landing when the burst forced them down too fast. The balloon's basket hit the ground and then slid more than 200 feet, a Metro Police officer at the crash site said.

At least one of the passengers was thrown from the basket as it crashed to the ground, but no one aboard suffered more than minor injuries. Ehrlich estimates that the balloon was about 100 feet in the air when it was forced down.

Sean Killingsworth, who was riding in a second balloon, which landed safely, said that everyone on both balloons were part of a business group from Campbell Sales Co.

"We're from all over the country and we're here doing some team-building," Killingsworth said. "We were trying to do some adventuresome activities, and some people were getting massages or playing golf, and some went for a balloon ride."

Ehrlich said that the crash, and a banged up knee, won't keep him from piloting at this weekend's Balloon and Kite Festival, scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Desert Breeze Park.