What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
While descending parallel along a road/powerlines, pilot spotted a grass field between adjacent businesses to use for landing. While descending noticed powerlines directly ahead and perpendicular to flight path leading to an abandoned house. Pilot made decision to increase rate of descent rather than climb and risk wires contacting basket. The two wires of the setback powerline were approximately 3-5 feet apart, ground wire was lower and hot wire directly above. Both wires contacted a single basket to envelope support cable, which caused them to short together. This shorting then caused the upper power wire to arc in half and fall to ground. The arcing damaged the support cable, upper carabiner and fabric which covers the upper carabiner attachment point. Following this the balloon became "ground hooked" on the lower ground wire until slowly lowered to the ground. There were no other setback powerlines for several thousand feet east/west of landing site.
As the FAA filed it
WHILE DESCENDING PARALLEL ALONG A ROAD/POWERLINES, PILOT SPOTTED A GRASS FIELD BETWEEN ADJACENT BUSINESSES TO USE FOR LANDING. WHILE DESCENDING NOTICED POWERLINES DIRECTLY AHEAD AND PERPENDICULAR TO FLIGHT PATH LEADING TO AN ABANDONED HOUSE. PILOT MADE DECISION TO INCREASE RATE OF DESCENT RATHER THAN CLIMB AND RISK WIRES CONTACTING BASKET. THE TWO WIRES OF THE SETBACK POWERLINE WERE APPROXIMATELY 3-5 FEET APART, GROUND WIRE WAS LOWER AND HOT WIRE DIRECTLY ABOVE. BOTH WIRES CONTACTED A SINGLE BASKET TO ENVELOPE SUPPORT CABLE, WHICH CAUSED THEM TO SHORT TOGETHER. THIS SHORTING THEN CAUSED THE UPPER POWER WIRE TO ARC IN HALF AND FALL TO GROUND. THE ARCING DAMAGED THE SUPPORT CABLE, UPPER CARABINER AND FABRIC WHICH COVERS THE UPPER CARABINER ATTACHMENT POINT. FOLLOWING THIS THE BALLOON BECAME "GROUND HOOKED" ON THE LOWER GROUND WIRE UNTIL SLOWLY LOWERED TO THE GROUND. THERE WERE NO OTHER SETBACK POWERLINES FOR SEVERAL THOUSAND FEET EAST/WEST OF LANDING SITE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.