CEN12LA591

Before the flight, the pilot obtained a proper weather briefing, and the wind for the area of the flight was forecast to be about 7 knots and decreasing during the flight. The pilot stated that the wind was initially out of the east about 6 knots, but during the flight it had increased to about 15 knots. The pilot said that after 1 hour and 45 minutes of flight he encountered wind shear. He attempted to descend and maneuver the balloon to seek lower wind, but the terrain was "hilly," which presented problems for landing due to wind "rotors" that could deform the balloon's envelope. According to the pilot, as the balloon moved toward a nearby airport, where he hoped to land, a wind shear pushed the balloon's envelope in. The pilot briefed the passengers before landing; however, the balloon's gondola hit tree tops during the descent and began to tip. The pilot then shut off the burners and opened the balloon's envelope vents to rapidly deflate the balloon, which would minimize the gondola being dragged after landing. During the landing, one of the passengers sustained a serious leg injury. Although the wind at the accident site could not be determined, one of the passengers reported that his hand-held GPS device indicated a ground speed of 15 mph just before touchdown. Landing in higher wind conditions in a balloon typically results in the gondola tipping over and dragging as the envelope deflates and is pulled by the wind.

On August 3, 2012, approximately 2040 central daylight time, an ARBC INC Lindstrand 180A balloon, N3013T, registered to Gentle Breezes Balloon Rides LLC, De Forest, Wisconsin, was dragged onto its side by the wind after landing. There were 7 occupants on board; the commercial balloon pilot and 5 of his 6 passengers were not injured, and 1 passenger sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the local balloon ride flight. The flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight originated about 2020 from the Sauk-Prairie Airport (91C), Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin.The pilot stated that he initially departed from the airport in light wind from the east, about 6 knots. About 1 hour and 45 minutes later, as the balloon moved toward the west, the wind picked up to about 15 knots. He attempted to descend and maneuver the balloon to seek more favorable wind for landing, but encountered wind shear. He described the terrain as "hilly," presenting problems for landing due to wind rotors below the tops of the hills. About 200 feet AGL the wind turned the balloon to a northwest direction and the speed about 15 mph. He descended more in hopes of finding lower wind, but had to be careful of the rotors, of which he was concerned that they could deform the envelope. The balloon was piloted over an industrial area, unsuitable for landing, but were moving toward the Sauk airport. Close to the airport, a wind shear pushed the envelope in about 30 feet. At this point, the pilot briefed the passengers prior to landing. The gondola started to hit some tree tops and tipped. Still descending, the pilot shut off the burners, and opened the envelope vents to minimize the gondola being dragged after landing. Upon touchdown, the gondola was dragged onto its side and one of the passengers sustained a serious leg injury during the hard landing. One of the passengers had a hand-held GPS during the flight and reported that the device indicated a ground speed of 15 MPH just prior to touchdown. The reported wind from a weather station (DLL) located about 13 miles to the north of the accident site was from 160 degrees at 10 knots. The exact wind at the accident site could not be determined. According to FAA records, the pilot did get a proper weather briefing prior to the flight. The wind for the area of the flight was forecast to be about 7 knots and decreasing but the wind encountered toward the end of the flight was about 15 knots.