Hot Air Balloon Takes Flight At Wisconsin Balloon Festival

Thunderous winds caused a hot air balloon to blow away and crash land into spectators along with their vehicles at the Waterford Balloon Fest in Wisconsin on Saturday.

Hot Air Balloon Accident Caused By Heavy Winds

A hot air balloon mishap was caught on video, as spectators watched the balloon escape in high winds at the Waterford Balloon Festival and then crash back down to land, destroying tents and pulling vans on its way.

In the mobile phone clip uploaded on YouTube, the red-and-white balloon is shown as one of two being desperately held down by crew members, while strong winds blow through the grassy plains.

The colorful balloon nearest to the camera slowly comes to a halt, nearly swarming the crew members underneath. However, the red-and-white balloon lifts off as the crew dangerously hold onto the basket.

The flying red-and-white balloon, which is not fully inflated, quickly rises before being blown to the right and crashing back down close to a crowd of spectators.

As people scream and run for safety — the balloon takes off again — the basket swinging loosely — and drags a four-wheel drive van it is attached to into a group of tents before finally coming to a stop.

“Happened just like that it was crazy,” said Nathan Fricke, a crew member.

Fricke told Fox6 News that the incident was surreal. “People are just getting pulled, there is nothing you can do.”

“There was actually a pilot in the basket with another gentleman. They did the best they could and he went up and another man fell down,” explained Amber Riley-Eckman, a spokesperson for the Waterford Fire Department and Chamber of Commerce.

Festival organizers confirmed there were no major injuries and immediately canceled flights due to the weather conditions. The YouTube footage of the balloon incident now has over 150,000 views.