Mind the greenhouse!
Gran’s shock as stricken Virgin hot air balloon lands in her garden
SIPPING her early morning cup of tea as she sat in bed listening to Radio 4, Helen Bide’s attention was caught by an unusual sight outside her bedroom window.
A big red hot air balloon was flying low near her house and she could hear its burners going full blast.
Thinking little of it, the 71-year-old grandmother went back to the tranquillity of her tea and farming programme – until a few moments later, when her neighbours alerted her to say the balloon had come down in her back garden, narrowly missing her greenhouse.
For the 14 passengers, the previous half an hour had been anything but tranquil. Within 15 minutes of take-off, it had become clear the Virgin balloon was struggling to gain height. They were terrified as it ploughed through tree tops before landing in Mrs Bide’s garden in Odiham, Hampshire.
Mrs Bide praised the pilot for bringing the balloon down safely.
‘There wasn’t a crash as such. It was beautifully landed, she said.
‘I had heard the gas going on the balloon and heard a whooshing noise. I saw it travel quite low and then it went back up quite high. Then it came down over the greenhouse. My neighbours sent me a text saying, “Did you know you’ve got a balloon in your garden?”. I hadn’t even realised.
‘It was a rather rude awakening to have 14 people in your garden. It wasn’t what I was expecting.’
The £100-a-head trip had taken off from nearby Alton early on Saturday morning.
As it struggled to gain height, passengers were able to read number plates on cars below. Then it hit the trees, puncturing the balloon. One of those on board, Shyam Kakad, 28, a bank worker from Woking, Surrey, said: ‘Branches were snapping and flying everywhere. We were all covered in leaves and twigs.’
He told The Sun: ‘I thought we were about to die. The trip just lurched from one disaster to the next. Virgin advertise it as serene and unforgettable – I certainly won’t forget it in a hurry.’
But pilot Steve Richards was able to navigate the ripped balloon over RAF Odiham and ordered his passengers to take up the landing position before he managed to bring it down safely.
Virgin Balloon Flights said the balloon was in control at all times and the landing was not a crash or an emergency, adding: ‘The homeowner, while obviously surprised to see our balloon in her garden, was very welcoming and happy to allow our crew access to retrieve it.’
Mrs Bide said: ‘They gave me a bottle of bubbly. I can’t remember what type but I’m going to drink it on the royal wedding day.’