Hydrogen ballon damaged by landing

A Worner 1000 STU gas balloon, of German registry D-OAGH, piloted by a commercial pilot was substantially damaged during landing, when the hydrogen-filled envelope came in contact with a power line, caught fire, and burned.

Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The balloon was a participant in a racing event associated with the annual Albuquerque Balloon Festival and was being operated under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and copilot reported no injuries.
The balloon departed Albuquerque, New Mexico, on October 6, 2001, at 2000 mountain daylight time. The accident occurred on October 7, 2001, at 1451 central daylight time
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A commercial pilot was substantially damaged during landing, when the hydrogen-filled envelope came in contact with a power line, caught fire, and burned.

gas balloon

The balloon pilot was provided a detailed weather briefing prior to the flight which called for light and variable winds. Soon after departure, the winds increased from 4-6 knots to 6-8 knots, gusting to 15 knots. The pilot flew around waiting for winds to subside to no avail. The pilot was forced to land with the prevailing high winds when he started getting low on fuel.

The pilot and co-pilot reported no injuries.

The pilot's inadvertent flight into adverse weather conditions during cruise flight and the unsuitable landing area encountered during the uncontrolled descent.

Factors relating to this accident were the high wind, the pilot's unsuccessful attempt to compensate for the wind conditions, the pilot's unsuccessful attempt to avoid the power lines during the landing, and the power lines.