What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Mr. Leake's family conducts a candy drop each year on December 24 with santa (son in-law). The flights are conducted under part 91 and no compensation is received. The pilot and his family incur the complete expense, and only family members are allowed in the balloon. On 12/24/2010, at 1020 Mr. Leake, piloting balloon N7527# a Lindstrand 90-A, experienced an hard landing due to shifting winds at low level on landing causing them to drift towards some trees at the midvalley elementary school in Midvale, UT, requiring them to descent faster than normal. The situation was exacerbated due to the unusually large crowd, which prevented the ground crew from arriving on scene to assist. The balloons faster than normal downward momentum resulted in a harder than normal landing and tipping the basket over. No damage to the aircraft and no injuries resulted, but the pilot was partially tossed out of the basket when it tipped over. Upon arresting the downward momentum, the balloon then rebounded resulting in the complete ejection of the pilot, while the passenger privacy data omitted (santa) unintentionally departed again. The ground crew and pilot communicated with privacy data omitted, an aircraft pilot who is very familiar with the family balloon, by radio and talked him down. Before the balloon landed again, it had traveled 13 blocks before another suitable landing location was available. privacy data omitted Was able to land the balloon without further incident while still using the first of the four (4) available fuel tanks. 1. Weather was not a factor, except for the winds shifting from the north east to the north west. Weather briefing from cedar city (cdc) flight service station and television weather reports. 2. Harder landings are not unusual resulting in people being tossed out on landing. 3. The basket tipping over and occupants being partially tossed out are not unusual for balloons. 4. The main cause of the incident was due to the unavailability of the ground crew to assist with the landing as a result of the unusually large crowd preventing them from arriving on scene in a timely manner.
As the FAA filed it
MR. LEAKE'S FAMILY CONDUCTS A CANDY DROP EACH YEAR ON DECEMBER 24 WITH SANTA (SON IN-LAW). THE FLIGHTS ARE CONDUCTED UNDER PART 91 AND NO COMPENSATION IS RECEIVED. THE PILOT AND HIS FAMILY INCUR THE COMPLETE EXPENSE, AND ONLY FAMILY MEMBERS ARE ALLOWED IN THE BALLOON. ON 12/24/2010, AT 1020 MR. LEAKE, PILOTING BALLOON N7527# A LINDSTRAND 90-A, EXPERIENCED AN HARD LANDING DUE TO SHIFTING WINDS AT LOW LEVEL ON LANDING CAUSING THEM TO DRIFT TOWARDS SOME TREES AT THE MIDVALLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN MIDVALE, UT, REQUIRING THEM TO DESCENT FASTER THAN NORMAL. THE SITUATION WAS EXACERBATED DUE TO THE UNUSUALLY LARGE CROWD, WHICH PREVENTED THE GROUND CREW FROM ARRIVING ON SCENE TO ASSIST. THE BALLOONS FASTER THAN NORMAL DOWNWARD MOMENTUM RESULTED IN A HARDER THAN NORMAL LANDING AND TIPPING THE BASKET OVER. NO DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT AND NO INJURIES RESULTED, BUT THE PILOT WAS PARTIALLY TOSSED OUT OF THE BASKET WHEN IT TIPPED OVER. UPON ARRESTING THE DOWNWARD MOMENTUM, THE BALLOON THEN REBOUNDED RESULTING IN THE COMPLETE EJECTION OF THE PILOT, WHILE THE PASSENGER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ (SANTA) UNINTENTIONALLY DEPARTED AGAIN. THE GROUND CREW AND PILOT COMMUNICATED WITH ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, AN AIRCRAFT PILOT WHO IS VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE FAMILY BALLOON, BY RADIO AND TALKED HIM DOWN. BEFORE THE BALLOON LANDED AGAIN, IT HAD TRAVELED 13 BLOCKS BEFORE ANOTHER SUITABLE LANDING LOCATION WAS AVAILABLE. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS ABLE TO LAND THE BALLOON WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT WHILE STILL USING THE FIRST OF THE FOUR (4) AVAILABLE FUEL TANKS. 1. WEATHER WAS NOT A FACTOR, EXCEPT FOR THE WINDS SHIFTING FROM THE NORTH EAST TO THE NORTH WEST. WEATHER BRIEFING FROM CEDAR CITY (CDC) FLIGHT SERVICE STATION AND TELEVISION WEATHER REPORTS. 2. HARDER LANDINGS ARE NOT UNUSUAL RESULTING IN PEOPLE BEING TOSSED OUT ON LANDING. 3. THE BASKET TIPPING OVER AND OCCUPANTS BEING PARTIALLY TOSSED OUT ARE NOT UNUSUAL FOR BALLOONS. 4. THE MAIN CAUSE OF THE INCIDENT WAS DUE TO THE UNAVAILABILITY OF THE GROUND CREW TO ASSIST WITH THE LANDING AS A RESULT OF THE UNUSUALLY LARGE CROWD PREVENTING THEM FROM ARRIVING ON SCENE IN A TIMELY MANNER.