Dramatic Footage Shows Hot Air Balloon’s Crash Landing in California Field

FAA data shows that, between 2003 to July 2016, 66 non-fatal and five fatal accidents occurred with commercial hot air balloons. The deadliest hot air balloon disaster occurred in 2016, when 16 people were killed after their hot air balloon struck power lines, causing their aircraft to crash and catch fire near Lockhart, Texas.
Sputnik
What appeared to be a peaceful hot air balloon ride in an area near Perris, California, quickly took a wild turn in a video recently publicized by TikTok user Nicholas McCall.
“My hot air balloon experience was going great until the winds picked up,” wrote McCall in a voiceover caption added to his video, showing the serene view from the aircraft.
The video abruptly switches to footage showing the basket thrashing around before falling to the ground, where it is then dragged at a 45 degree angle.
“Here we go,” the pilot is overheard saying as he grabs on to the basket.
“Everybody hang on,” he says, “Everybody hang on and stay in the basket.”
Screams are heard up until the video abruptly cuts off.
“Tik tok we are all okay don’t delete,” McCall said in his Tik Tok caption, preemptively notifying moderators that everyone is safe after the ordeal.
McCall’s clip has been liked more than 727,000 and received over 11,400 comments, as of this article’s publication.
Less than a year ago, a hot air balloon pilot and four others died after their aircraft hit a power line in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The envelope, or balloon, separated from the basket upon impact with the line.
The Federal Aviation Administration later released a two-page toxicology report detailing that pilot, identified as Nicholas Meleski, had marijuana and cocaine in his system at the time of the crash.
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