Mind if we drop in? Hot air balloon with 13 aboard makes emergency landing in California backyard

TEMECULA, Calif. (AP) — A balloon landed in a Southern California backyard — a balloon with 13 people.

The enormous hot air balloon, with a pilot and passengers in the basket, descended perfectly Saturday on a narrow area of grass at a home in Temecula. Hunter Perrin said he had no idea that he had visitors until a neighbor alerted him.

“I open the sliding glass door, and there’s a basket full of 13 people in my backyard!” Perrin told KABC-TV. “The pilot, he was masterful. ... The balloon didn’t catch on anything. No one was injured.”

Brianna Avalos said the pilot informed passengers that he needed to make an emergency landing because of low fuel and weak winds. She and her husband were riding in the balloon to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary.

“At first I was like, ‘Oh my God! We’re in a backyard! This is crazy!’” Avalos said.

The dark blue balloon with gold stars and a crescent moon image was a spectacle as it rested on the lawn and towered over Perrin's home. The pilot disembarked the passengers, returned aloft and landed the balloon nearby in the street, where it was dismantled.