Hot Air Balloon Lands In Gator-Infested Pond Near Disney World

A hot air balloon made an emergency landing Monday in an alligator-infested pond near Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The balloon, which carried 17 people (16 passengers plus a pilot), landed at 8 a.m. along State Road 429 between Flamingo Crossings Boulevard and Flagler Avenue, according to HLN.

No critical injuries or fatalities had been reported from the incident.

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Russ Lucas, the balloon's pilot, told law enforcement that he couldn't hit the nearby landing area near Florida's turnpike due to the wind, which caused them to land in the pond. Cellphone video footage of the crash landing was recorded by passenger Jacob Malherbe. The footage shows the balloon falling into the water.

"We were excited by this, but it got scary real fast," passenger Sebastian Westerby said, according to HLN. "The balloon tilted, the basket tilted, people go underneath the basket and that's when it got serious."

Sgt. Kim Montes spoke with WFTV, an ABC News affiliate, about the incident as she claimed that the pilot "attempted to land in a field off of the turnpike but ended up in a retention pond."

"The basket did not sink," Montes told WFTV. "The pilot was attempting to land in the designated landing strip where they had launched from earlier that morning, adajcent to the pond, but reported problems with the wind. With power lines in the area and a highway near by, he attempted to land next to the water, but ended up in the corner of the pond."

The hot air balloon was owned by Davenport, Florida-based company Orlando Balloon Rides (OBR). OBR allows consumers to experience the "magic" of Orlando with rides ranging between $99 and $225, according to the company's website.

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According to Fox 35, a Fox News affiliate in Orlando, Lucas had instructed his passengers to "brace for impact" because the wind changed directions as he had attempted to land the balloon. When the balloon tipped over, a 7-year-old boy on board swallowed an extensive amount of water; he received immediate treatment as a precaution and was reportedly not seriously harmed.

Keith Fears, the owner of OBR, praised Lucas for his efforts in the emergency crisis. Lucas had acquired over 2,000 hours of hot air balloon training prior to the incident, according to USA Today.

"He did what he needed to do to avoid something far worse and make sure everyone stayed safe," Fears told USA Today on Tuesday. "While we understand this unusual and may even be scary, we think our pilot absolutely made the right decision."

WFTV reported that is took roughly an hour for the hot air balloon to be efficiently removed from the pond. Fears and Lucas worked alongside the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Safety Transportation Board investigators (NSTB) to get everyone to safety. Fears' top priority was "making things right" in this less than magical situation.

"There was adrenaline — it was pumping. But it was scary. Now we’re making fun of it, but it was serious. It was lucky that no one got hurt," Westerby told WFTV.

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