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Three Survive Balloon Accident at N.M. AM Tower

Three Survive Balloon Accident at N.M. AM Tower

Can you imagine looking up at your AM tower and seeing Smokey Bear attacking it?
And then seeing three people climbing down your tower who hadn’t climbed it first?
According to the Associated Press, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta ended Sunday when a Smokey Bear-themed balloon got tangled up in the AM tower of Citadel station KKOB, its gondola resting against the 700-foot structure.
The 69-year-old pilot, a retired park ranger, and his two passengers – ages 10 and 14 – had to climb down the tower’s interior ladder.
KKOB shut down its 50 kW facility, operating at 770 kHz. Rescuers met the pilot and passengers about 100 feet above the ground and brought them down. According to AP, the station estimates the cost of damage at about $10,000.
A witness in another balloon said, “We were praying we wouldn’t see any bodies on the ground. Our pilot was really shook up by it.”

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