Balloon
Flight Crew Commercial
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 1; Flight Crew Total 1856; Flight Crew Type 321
Situational Awareness
Inflight Event / Encounter Object; Inflight Event / Encounter Unstabilized Approach
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Environment - Non Weather Related; Procedure
Descending hot air balloon for landing in grass field from 1200 feet AGL when a passenger comments about whether we will make contact with a power line. Looking up I noticed two small power lines in the flight path above the basket level. I immediately started deflating the balloon. The balloon fabric made contact with the power line and broke one of the lines. The balloon basket rebounded off the power line and came to rest in the wetlands below the power line with no injuries and minimal damage to the balloon.I noticed a small power pole during approach far to the right of the flight path and guy wires that supported the pole. The way the sunlight reflected off the wires it gave the impression that the power line terminated at that pole and did not cross the wetlands over which I was flying. To the left there was no indication of another pole. There was a building a considerable distance to the left on a hill. From what I witnessed it appeared that flight path was clear. However there were two single-phase power lines running between the pole to the right to a pole hidden behind the building on the hillside to the left. The lines were not visible because they were the same color as the hillside in the distant horizon. The lines did not become visible until the balloon was close enough to them that the horizon was now below the power lines.The failure in judgment was to assume that although a power pole was present a power line was not present. The correct landing procedure would have been to keep the balloon in level flight above the tallest obstacle (the building on the hillside to the left) until the balloon had crossed the power line. Then begin the landing procedure if no other obstacles are present. Pilots must assume if a pole is visible that a power line is present even if the power line itself is not visible. In this particular case; with a single pole to the left and a single building to the right; the correct conclusion should have been the possibility of a power line crossing the flight path. Regardless of whether the distance between the pole and the building seemed to be too far for a power line to span.
Balloon pilot reported making contact with a power line on descent for landing. The power line was not seen by the pilot; but was observed by a passenger too late to avoid contact.