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1 Killed, 3 Injured In 3 Balloon Crashes

Officials Suspend Hot-Air Balloon Fiesta

POSTED: 11:38 am EDT October 10, 2008
UPDATED: 2:36 pm EDT October 10, 2008

A balloon basket caught on fire, separated from the rest of the balloon and crashed during an annual hot-air balloon fiesta in Albuquerque on Friday, killing one person, an official said.

Two people -- a pilot and a passenger -- were aboard the Wings of Wind balloon when it crashed north of Albuquerque, said Kathie Leyendecker, a spokeswoman for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, held each October.

The pilot was trying to land the balloon on Highway 528, when it struck power lines, according to John Francis, of the Leo Rancho Fire Department.

Ambulances and a New Mexico National Guard Blackhawk were sent to the scene of the crash. A witness told The Associated Press that he saw the basket in flames and things falling from it.

The balloon featured an experimental tetrahedral design, according to Balloon Fiesta officials. It was not immediately known whether it was the pilot or the passenger who was killed.

The three-sided balloon was shaped like an upside down triangle and was among hundreds participating in the fiesta, which is held every October.

Local station KOAT reported a separate balloon hard landing in Rio Rancho on Idalia Road, about a half-mile west of the first crash location. Officials said that accident involved a 10-year-old child. The child was airlifted to University of New Mexico Hospital. One adult male was in the balloon as well.

Officials reported another injury in a third balloon incident in Placitas, N.M., involving a 16-year-old woman who was dragged during a landing attempt. Officers are trying to find pinpoint the exact location of the incident. It is unknown whether the woman fell or jumped out of the balloon gondola, or was part of the chase crew assisting the landing.

Fiesta officials have suspended further launches.

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