Two passengers injured in a balloon accident over the weekend have been released from the hospital in an incident currently under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.
According to the FAA, four of the seven passengers aboard suffered injuries when the balloon, owned by Damn Yankee Balloons in Dixfield, crashed into power lines while attempting to land in a residential neighborhood in Clinton, Mass.
Witnesses, as well as a Youtube video, confirm large explosions as the balloon first skirted the tops of trees, then descended into the power lines.
This isn’t the first time the balloon, dubbed the Raspberry Ripple, has gone astray.
In September, pilot Derald Young was taking up a group of eight when unexpected breezes kicked up off the Androscoggin River around sunset over Auburn.
Young and his crew, intending to land beyond the Auburn Mall area, instead rallied in the Kmart parking lot, where the Raspberry Ripple made a safe landing among confused shoppers traversing the parking lot.
The only casualty in Young’s landing this time was one of the four arms extending from the parking lot lighting system, which crashed down among vehicles after connecting with the basket.
Young and his crew are a regular fixture at the Great Falls Balloon Festival. He repurposed one of his old balloons at the 2013 festival to create an attraction for kids to walk through.
Reporters were unable to reach Young for comment Monday night.
dmcintire@sunjournal.com
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