Please Say a Prayer… 6-Year-Old Floating Away in Homemade Hotair Balloon in Colorado (update, video)
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on October 15, 2009
This story is still developing. I will update as more information is made available.
Please include this child and his frightened family in your prayers and notify your prayer groups to also do so.
This is the homemade 'flying saucer' helium balloon that a small boy in Colorado was reported to be in when it escaped
From FOX News: Officials Race to Save Boy Trapped in Flying Balloon:
DEVELOPING: Officials are scrambling to figure out how to rescue a 6-year-old boy who climbed into a homemade balloon before it floated away in Fort Collins, Colo.
The bizarre scene played out live on television and prompted fears that the flying saucer-shaped balloon would crash with the young child inside. FAA spokesman Mike Fergus says the agency has been notified and it was unclear whether traffic controllers had picked it up on radar.
Larimer County sheriff’s spokeswoman Eloise Campanella says the device has the potential to rise to 10,000 feet. Sheriff’s officials last saw the device floating south of Milliken, which is about 40 miles north of Denver. The craft is reportedly traveling at about 25 miles per hour.
The FAA is now clearing airspace near Denver International Airport.
“We were sitting eating, out looking where they normally shoot off hot air balloons. My husband said he saw something. It went over our rooftop. Then we saw the big round balloonish thing, it was spinning,” said neighbor Lisa Eklund.
Additional details about the child and the balloon were not immediately available.
Local FOX News: Hot Air Balloon in Colorado with 6-Year-Old Boy
From Denver News:
The balloon landed about 2 miles east of Prospect Reservoir at 1:35 p.m., but the boy was not inside. That’s about 50 miles from where the balloon lifted off.
The balloon, in the shape of a flying saucer was covered in foil and filled with helium. It has a compartment for a passenger underneath. It lifted the boy into the air near Fort Collins Thursday morning after the balloon became unhooked at the boy’s home.
The family reported the boy could not be found when the balloon lifted off. The boy’s home and neighborhood were immediately searched and there was no sign of the boy, leading everyone to believe the boy had climbed into the craft.
Airtracker 7 located the craft at 12:35 p.m. at about 8,000 feet in Weld County. It appeared to be slightly tilted.
“The structure at the bottom of the balloon that the boy is in is made of extremely thin plywood and won’t withstand any kind of a crash at all,” said Erik Nilsson, Larimer County Emergency Manager, as the balloon floated thousands of feet over farmland.
Deputies from Larimer and Weld counties track the balloon as it drifted. Experts said it could remain airborne for up to 12 hours, although it was clearly deflated on one side by 1:25 p.m., and was descending about 400 feet off the ground at 1:30 p.m.
A neighbor said the “whole family was out there” working on the balloon Thursday. The neighbor said the balloon was supposed to be tethered and hover in air.
This was never meant to carry anybody,” said Larimer County sheriff’s spokeswoman Eloise Campbell.
The neighbor identified the missing boy as Falcon Heene.
Another shot of the runaway 'flying saucer' helium balloon in Colorado
From CNN:
The boy’s family had been building the experimental aircraft at their home on Fossil Ridge Road in Fort Collins, CNN affiliate KUSA reported.
The family has described the structure as a a dome-shaped “homemade flying saucer,” Larimer County Sheriff’s Office Spokeswoman Kathy Davis said.
“We’re trying to determine the best course of action,” Davis said. “This is a first and we’ll do what we need to do.”
UPDATED INFO FROM CNN, 1:27 pm AZ/Pacific:
…A balloon that was set adrift today by a 6-year-old boy from his parents’ Fort Collins, Colorado, home was empty when it landed, but authorities said they were searching for the boy on the ground. Police said a sibling had reported seeing the boy on board. His parents were featured on ABC’s “Wife Swap” in March.
From AllVoices:
Boy 6, Floats Away In Hot Air Balloon
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — A 6-year-old boy climbed into a homemade balloon aircraft and floated away Thursday, forcing officials to scramble to figure out how to rescue the boy.
Live footage from a local TV helicopter showed the balloon gliding quickly through the air.
Larimer County sheriff’s spokeswoman Eloise Campanella says the device, which is shaped like a flying saucer, has the potential to rise to 10,000 feet. Sheriff’s officials last saw the device floating south of Milliken, which is about 40 miles north of Denver.
Campanella said the 6-year-old climbed into the access door and was in the airborne device.
FAA spokesman Mike Fergus said the agency has been notified and it was unclear whether traffic controllers had picked it up on radar.
Colorado National Guard has now launched aircraft help to save the boy. Apparently, one side of the escaped aircraft has collapsed.
UPDATE!!!!! SUCCESSFUL RESCUE
Soft, safe landing of the hotair balloon with superb helicopter assistance in a Colorado field near 160th Ave. & Weld County Road 79, just south of Keenesburg. FOX 31 reporter Kim Posey said it was not going “frighteningly fast” when it hit the ground… The balloon landed on its own in the dirt field, and sheriff’s deputies secured it to keep it in place, even tossing shovelfuls of dirt on one edge. Rescue workers quickly poked holes into the balloon, fully deflating the helium craft, with medics on standby. As Sean Hannity said on his radio show while covering the news coverage live, it appeared that “arms of angels” were involved in helping to bring down the runaway experimental flying saucer craft.
However, at this point, the boy has not been seen by news crews nor has been removed from the craft. This is mysterious… did the child not enter the craft as was assumed? Is he hiding, fearing punishment for releasing the balloon? Since so many eyes were on the craft after it was released, I don’t believe he fell out without anyone seeing it happen. Please continue prayers…
Deflating the downed helium balloon... boy not inside
UPDATE
Temporary 2-mile flight restriction has been issued for the area… boy has been reported to be OK. However, law enforcement officers are saying the balloon craft is empty. Conflict of information… previous AP reports was that the boy was in the balloon craft when it was accidentally released, but that may not be the case. However, at this point, the child is still reportedly missing.
CNN just reported that the child was not in the balloon.
UPDATE, 1:08 pm AZ/Pacific time
Still no word on the child.
UPDATE, 1:14 pm, AZ/Pacific time
Authorities are looking into reports that something fell from the balloon shortly after it took off from the home. A search is under way near Platteville, 5 to 10 miles outside of Greeley, Colorado.
UPDATE, 1:40 pm, AZ/Pacific time
FOX News reports that the hunt is still on for the boy. Will update when new information is made available.
UPDATE, 3:16 AZ/Pacific time
PRAISE GOD… BOY FOUND ALIVE!
(more details in later post…)
Additional:
Michelle Malkin: Hot air balloon drama preempts Obama; Update: Where is the boy?; Update: Punked?!
The Snooper Report: OOPS! Young Man Stuck In A Balloon!
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