Posted
10/08/2007 06:03:00 PM
by Douglas
There's a reason that ballooning is almost
five times more dangerous than the rest of general aviation. When there's nothing between your basket and a 75,000 volt power line,
this is often the result.
The basket of a hot air balloon flying in the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta tipped after hitting power lines Monday, killing a woman who was thrown out of the basket, police said.
The pilot was trying to land the balloon and had thrown out a tether line when the balloon began to rise again, striking nearby power lines and tipping the basket, Tingwall said. It was not clear if the landing was planned or an emergency.
The crash site is about three miles from the launch site for the fiesta, a nine-day event that began Saturday and features special-shaped balloons and competitions for balloon pilots.
I wouldn't stick a fork in a toaster, either, nevermind
my values.