Sep. 11--Wind gusts pushed a hot air balloon with five passengers aboard into power lines Thursday near the Kentucky TriModal Transpark, knocking out power in the area for about 45 minutes. The passengers were not injured.

"We were descending and then this huge gust just came over the balloon and slammed us into the ground," said Doug Robertson, who was piloting the balloon. "It went up and then slammed us down again. We dragged for what seemed like about 100 yards. The wind picked up and dragged us like a sailboat. We just weren't able to get the actual top of the balloon down underneath the power lines, so we laid the top part of the balloon on the bottom power line."

The Bowling Green Police Department, Bowling Green Fire Department, Medical Center EMS and Warren Rural Electric Cooperative Corp. responded to the scene, a field next to Mitch McConnell Way.

Power was out in the adjacent industrial park for about 45 minutes, according to WRECC personnel on the scene.

"We had no injuries at all. We actually had a physician on board and a retired electrical worker on board, so we were all set for this flight," Robertson said. "We were very fortunate ... All balloon flights should be uneventful. It just so happened we just got caught up in some really fierce wind and it was the wrong place at the wrong time."

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