Two hot air balloons make emergency landings in Melbourne’s east

Two hot air balloons have made emergency landings in neighbouring suburbs in Melbourne’s east, with one narrowly missing a house before coming to rest in a backyard swimming pool.

Two hot air balloons have made emergency landings in neighbouring suburbs in Melbourne’s east this morning, with one ending up just metres from a home.

A balloon carrying 11 passengers came down in Terrara Rd, Vermont South about 8am — just moments after another carrying eight people was forced to land near the intersection of High Street Rd and EastLink, Wantirna South.

The pilot of the Vermont South balloon, Brian Garth of Global Ballooning, said a wind change had forced the emergency landing.

The sunrise flight, with Nova 100 branding, was supposed to land at Moorabbin.

“Everybody is fine,” Mr Garth said.

“We just had a bit of a wind change.”

Christine Taylor with the balloon in her backyard. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

The balloon takes a dip in the Taylors’ swimming pool. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

The balloon’s basket touched down just metres from several homes. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Mr Garth steered the balloon basket into Terrara Park before wind picked the balloon up and blew it into Christine and Malcolm Taylor’s backyard.

Mrs Taylor’s morning tea in bed was loudly interrupted when she heard a “cracking” outside her window.

She thought it was an earthquake or a gumtree had come down on her Eden Valley Close home.

@theheraldsun @GlobalTeam ‘s @nova100 hot air balloon landed in our local park, Terrara Park with the balloon going into a neighbouring property. All passengers are safe thankfully pic.twitter.com/lYlWJ4icas

— ArielMerida (@Ariel_Merida_) February 17, 2019

“I jumped up and all I could see was this great big red and white balloon hurtling through the trees,” she said.

“It was cracking, crunching.”

Mrs Taylor said one lady on board the balloon fainted.

Paramedics assessed all the passengers and gave them water.

“I’m still feeling shaky,” Mrs Taylor said.

“I’m dying for a cup of tea. My tea is cold now.”

Commercial Hot Air Ballooning Industry spokesman Damian Crock said the two balloons had been part of a formation taking off from Bundrooa about dawn.

Between one and one-and-a-half hours into their flights, both pilots reported a significant change in wind speed and direction.

Mr Crock said the pilots had 20 years’ experience and landed safely, one of them in a large reserve at Vermont South.

That pilot conducted a “drag landing”, which is typical when there’s significant ground wind speed.

Gusts of up to 20km/h were recorded in the area where the balloons came down, the Bureau of Meteorology earlier said.

The hot air balloon in Vermonth South. Picture: Tamsin Buchan