What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The pilot was on final approach to landing the balloon, an Aerostar international, at the end of the flying day. The selected landing site was a suitable, large grass area next to a house. The balloon passed enroute over a house and walkways, and a normal landing seemed assured. Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind pushed the baloon along the glide path, significantly increasing the velocity (ground speed) of flight. Immediately, the pilot realized the balloon was going too fast to make a safe landing. Accordingly, the pilot decided to abort the landing. She ?burned up?, and the balloon ascended rapidly. The balloon gondola barely touched some leaves in the top of trees as it continued to ascend in the downwind direction. Eventually, the pilot perceived the balloon was rapidly approaching some high voltage electrical wires that suddenly appeared in her visual field. She determined there was a good chance it would hit the wires. In order to prevent a potential explosion if a wire strike occurred, the pilot cut fuel to the burner and secured the fuel system valves. She then prepared her passengers for an emergency landing. The balloon continued to ascend, but the bottom of the gondola struck the wires. In doing so, the gondola pulled on the wires, and eventually fractured them. When the balloon was free from the wires, she immediately checked the integrity of the visible lta system. Finding no visible damage from the wire encounter, the pilot reconfigured the burner to the operable condition, and proceded to make a normal approach and landing in a large field beyond the power lines.
As the FAA filed it
THE PILOT WAS ON FINAL APPROACH TO LANDING THE BALLOON, AN AEROSTAR INTERNATIONAL, AT THE END OF THE FLYING DAY. THE SELECTED LANDING SITE WAS A SUITABLE, LARGE GRASS AREA NEXT TO A HOUSE. THE BALLOON PASSED ENROUTE OVER A HOUSE AND WALKWAYS, AND A NORMAL LANDING SEEMED ASSURED. SUDDENLY, A POWERFUL GUST OF WIND PUSHED THE BALOON ALONG THE GLIDE PATH, SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASING THE VELOCITY (GROUND SPEED) OF FLIGHT. IMMEDIATELY, THE PILOT REALIZED THE BALLOON WAS GOING TOO FAST TO MAKE A SAFE LANDING. ACCORDINGLY, THE PILOT DECIDED TO ABORT THE LANDING. SHE ?BURNED UP?, AND THE BALLOON ASCENDED RAPIDLY. THE BALLOON GONDOLA BARELY TOUCHED SOME LEAVES IN THE TOP OF TREES AS IT CONTINUED TO ASCEND IN THE DOWNWIND DIRECTION. EVENTUALLY, THE PILOT PERCEIVED THE BALLOON WAS RAPIDLY APPROACHING SOME HIGH VOLTAGE ELECTRICAL WIRES THAT SUDDENLY APPEARED IN HER VISUAL FIELD. SHE DETERMINED THERE WAS A GOOD CHANCE IT WOULD HIT THE WIRES. IN ORDER TO PREVENT A POTENTIAL EXPLOSION IF A WIRE STRIKE OCCURRED, THE PILOT CUT FUEL TO THE BURNER AND SECURED THE FUEL SYSTEM VALVES. SHE THEN PREPARED HER PASSENGERS FOR AN EMERGENCY LANDING. THE BALLOON CONTINUED TO ASCEND, BUT THE BOTTOM OF THE GONDOLA STRUCK THE WIRES. IN DOING SO, THE GONDOLA PULLED ON THE WIRES, AND EVENTUALLY FRACTURED THEM. WHEN THE BALLOON WAS FREE FROM THE WIRES, SHE IMMEDIATELY CHECKED THE INTEGRITY OF THE VISIBLE LTA SYSTEM. FINDING NO VISIBLE DAMAGE FROM THE WIRE ENCOUNTER, THE PILOT RECONFIGURED THE BURNER TO THE OPERABLE CONDITION, AND PROCEDED TO MAKE A NORMAL APPROACH AND LANDING IN A LARGE FIELD BEYOND THE POWER LINES.