Hot air balloon landing surprises Wheathampstead resident

SUSPICIONS that a hot air balloon crash-landed in a Wheathampstead field this morning have run out of steam after a spokesperson said it was a routine flight.

John Seymour spotted the Virgin aircraft heading extremely near to the Wicked Lady pub before landing in the middle of the cricket pitch next to the B651 just after 8am.

He said: “It could have been dodgy if it had gone another 20 feet. They would have been in all the trees and all the bushes.

“It certainly seemed to be as though it shouldn’t have come down there. It was quite close to everything but it got down okay.”

The resident said around 16 teenagers were on the balloon and that a back-up team turned up to help it come down by pulling on ropes.

A spokesperson from Virgin Balloon Flights confirmed a balloon had landed in the area carrying 16 people after taking off from Graveley, but said the pilot had brought it down for a “normal, safe and controlled landing”.

She added: “Unlike other forms of aviation, balloons travel in the direction of the wind and do not have designated places to land, but are permitted to use open spaces and grassed areas.”

via – Herts Advertiser.