Yahoo News Dramatic moment hot air balloon makes bumpy landing in car park
Watch: Dramatic moment hot air balloon lands in car park
This is the dramatic moment a hot air balloon landed in a car park after nearly ploughing into houses with a full basket of people.
The balloon had reportedly been spotted flying "very low and erratically" before making the landing in the locked car park.
The balloon's descent, including its bumpy landing in Taunton, Somerset, was captured on camera by local resident Nicki Witherden on Thursday (19 May).
The 53-year-old officer administrator, who lives opposite the disused car park, said it had been spotted across Taunton in the early evening.
She said: "I'd dozed off and my partner woke me up rambling about something so I got up and looked out from the balcony door to be confronted by the sheer size of the red balloon descending.
"Lots of people had gathered to look with the noise of the fire ignition, it was a little scary to watch.
"Amazingly no one was injured or hurt.
"Lots of people had seen it descending around Taunton and it just happened to land right near to where I live."
Another witness had spotted the balloon flying over the M5, when it was said to have appeared to be in "trouble".
They added: "The balloon looked to be in trouble as it went over the motorway. It came very low over shops.
"It flew very low and erratically before coming down in the car park.
“The car park was locked so nobody could get out. They waited for a key holder to arrive. Passengers managed to exit via a side gate.
"The basket was very full of people. When it landed they were all very quiet."
Despite the dramatic landing, nobody is believed to have been injured during the unexpected descent, which saw the balloon land at around 9:20pm on Friday.
One of those on board reportedly praised the pilot for a "fantastic job" in bringing them down safely.
The inflatable, believed to be owned by Bailey Balloons, was later collected, with its crew and nearby residents helping pack it away.
