Hot air balloon crashes into house at Bristol festival

Updated
Hot air balloon crashes into house at Bristol Festival
Hot air balloon crashes into house at Bristol Festival

PA



The Bristol International Balloon fiesta turned to fiasco this weekend as a hot-air balloon crashed into a family home.

The two-man father-and-son crew escaped unhurt after bouncing off two other houses when they hit telephone lines.

According to the Daily Mail, the pair lost height when they swapped over the gas canister that powers the burner.

Bernardine Nolan, who lost 30 roof tiles from her house, told the Mirror: 'I thought it was going through the bedroom window.'

Her son Paul said: 'The bang woke me, then I saw its ­burner flame ­outside the window before it flew off.'

Pilot Martin Read steered the balloon away and managed to land it safely five miles from the house.

He told the Mail: 'Once you make contact with a structure it becomes more of a problem and chances are you will hit something else.'

The Civil Aviation Authority are carrying out an investigation into the accident, and any damage is likely to be covered by insurance.

This year's event was the 33rd annual Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. Launched in 1979, it's become one of Europe's biggest balloon festivals, with teams from all over the world coming to take part in ascents, which often include 100 balloons at a time.

The four-day festival sees two daily take-offs, at 6am and 6pm, and crowds of over 100,000 a day are commonly attracted to the Ashton Court country estate venue.

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