Hot-air balloon crashes into 11,000 volt power line

[mhm]

A hot-air balloon with 17 passengers has crashed into an 11,000 volt power line in North Yorkshire.

No-one was hurt in the crash, which happened north of Keasden near Bentham on Wednesday evening.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue sent crews from Bentham, Settle, Hornby and Tadcaster at about 21:00 BST.

The balloon's basket struck the power line at a height of about 6m (20ft), the fire service said. The incident cut power to about 200 homes.

The pilot managed to land the balloon safely and the nine male and seven female passengers were unharmed.

Fire crews cordoned off the live power lines at Keasden, which is near the Lancashire border, until an electrical engineer arrived.

Electricity North West, which provides electricity to the area, said 202 homes lost power at 20:30 BST.

The majority of power was restored by 22:30 BST. Two remaining homes had their power back on by about 03:34 on Thursday, the company said.

"We fervently advise all aviators to make sure they know where overhead lines are situated before departure," the company added.

The Air Accident Investigation Branch was informed of the incident and said it would be carrying out an investigation.

A balloon carrying 10 people hit power lines near West Haddlesey in North Yorkshire in April.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-19191066