Balloon lands on Lakeville road, missing I-35

Article by: PAUL WALSH , Star Tribune
Updated: August 1, 2010 - 7:43 AM

Four people were on board for the pleasure ride forced to land in the westbound lanes of 185th Street near Interstate 35. No one was hurt.

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A hot-air balloon made an emergency landing Saturday night in Lakeville on a major road, just averting a more perilous descent onto an interstate, police said.

Four people were on board for the pleasure ride, and there were no injuries, said Police Sgt. Jay Castonguay.

At about 8:30 p.m., the balloon “had no more wind to push it” toward its destination of Prior Lake and was forced to land in the westbound lanes of 185th Street near Interstate 35, Castonguay said. “The pilot saw that it was either going to be 35 or 185th.”

The balloon and its gondola had two lanes of 185th blocked briefly, and traffic was back to normal within about 15 minutes, the sergeant said.

The pilot’s “permit and license and such” were checked, and no citation was issued, Castonguay said.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482