Wind takes hot air balloon, leaves pilot dangling on edge
Digital Reporter
Saturday, June 10, 2017, 10:36 AM - One person was hospitalized after a hot air balloon got caught in a gust of wind in Chatsworth, Illinois, on Thursday, according to a local news report.
The incident was caught on camera by Wayne Germain who was out watching the balloon launch as part of a Sesquicentennial Heritage Days event.
In the video above, you can see a gust estimated to be about between 20 and 30 miles an hour sweep down on the field, causing two balloons to collide. Shortly after, one of the balloons takes off, leaving the pilot hanging on from the balloonist basket and others still inside. The pilot was dangling for "15 to 20 seconds," according to Germain via Storyful.
As the pilot dangles head down, you can see him trying to pull a string to release air from the balloon. He eventually succeeds and lets go of the string as soon as he hits the floor, but the balloon goes right back up again.
Those left in the basket were untrained, and had to be given directions from the ground to get down safely.
The pilot was sent to hospital, but, luckily, did not sustain any major injuries.
Source: Wayne R. Germain | Storyful | CBS affiliate WMBD
