PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- An 80-foot tall hot air balloon made an unplanned landing on a Philadelphia playground, descending on a vacant baseball diamond, police said.
It landed late Thursday afternoon after a flight of about 40 miles from Glenmoore, Pa.
The balloon, with four people aboard, made a bumpy landing behind a recreation center in the city's Kensington section. The pilot told police the balloon encountered strong winds at an altitude of 17,000 feet and he sought a safe place to quickly land; he chose the city park, dodging power lines.
The balloon landed on a baseball field. No injuries were reported. Once it landed, onlookers helped secure the balloon's basket to keep it from launching again.
Pilot H.M. Steiger owns the balloon, which was on a routine crew training flight. Although he flies for Air Ventures Hot Air Balloons Inc., company owner Deb Harding told the news website Philly.com that the trip Thursday "was an independent flight."
About a dozen police cars chased the balloon as it descended and arrived in the park.
The FAA is investigating the incident.
