No one was seriously injured after the pilot of a hot air balloon was ejected from the basket and the two non-pilot passengers were left on their own. On an otherwise calm evening at an event in Chatsworth, Illinois, Thursday, a 20-30 mph gust of wind tore through a group of balloons getting ready to launch. As the accompanying video shows (coarse language alert) the wind blew one balloon into another and in the process left the pilot hanging out of the basket. The balloon then descended rapidly and bounced off the ground, ejecting the pilot in the process. Relieved of his weight, the balloon shot back into the air with two inexperienced passengers still in the basket.
The balloon ascended a few hundred feet and pilots on the ground were able to make contact with the two passengers and guide them to a safe landing a few hundred yards from the takeoff point. The pilot was taken to the hospital but his injuries were not serious, Livingston County Sheriff Tony Childress told local media. He said balloons have been flying safely in the area for many years and this year’s unusual incident won’t result in any changes to its organization or the rules governing it. “I just don’t think it’s something that we need to create more red tape, so to speak, that what we already have,” Childress said.
