Hot air balloon makes unexpected landing on golf course
Nov 29, 2024
SOLANA BEACH, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) -- A hot air balloon landing caught many by surprise at a golf course Friday in Solana Beach.
The incident happened around 4 p.m. at Lomas Santa Fe Country Club, according to witnesses.
A young couple, named Kylie and Noah, were on the hot air balloon ride, telling FOX 5/KUSI that it was their first time flying on one.
“We were trying to head east and the winds were pushing us south and so we ended up landing in the beautiful sandpit,” Kylie said.
Noah credited the pilot for his actions.
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“Our pilot did a great job communicating throughout it, letting us know ‘Hey, the winds are what we expected, we might have to land in a different area,' and looking for where it was safest for us,” Noah said.
It appears everyone kept their cool during the entire ordeal. When asked if it was scary, the pilot responded with "no, it wasn't expected."
The passengers agreed with the pilot's take as well.
“When you are up in the air, it was super stable and you don’t notice that you are going as fast as you are until you are closer to the ground,” said Kylie, who added that the pilot made a "stellar landing."
Neighbors in the area say this type of landing on a golf course has never happened before.
Video obtained by FOX 5/KUSI shows a bystander then help move the stuck hot air balloon out of the sandpit and across the golf course near a road as it couldn't go back up.
No injuries were reported.