Three injured in Napa County hot air balloon crash

A hot air balloon took off in Sonoma County and then crashed in Napa County Sunday morning, injuring three people on board, according to the Napa County Sheriff’s Office. It was the second balloon to crash in Napa this month.

The balloon was operated by Wine Country Balloons, a Santa Rosa company, according to Napa Valley Register. Officials with the balloon company could not be reached Monday.

Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the FAA, said details on the crash, such as where it occurred and where the balloon took off, were not immediately available Monday. Gregor confirmed the FAA is investigating. The report of the crash came in to first responders at 11:35 Sunday morning.

The balloon was unable to land at its intended location in Napa County and was pushed back into the Mayacamas Mountains and “landed hard,” said Sgt. Mike Milat of the Napa County Sheriff’s Office who had no further details.

The crash resulted in three people sustaining minor injuries, said Shannon Criss of Cal Fire. Criss had no further information about the crash.

On April 1, a hot air balloon registered to Napa company Balloons Above the Valley crashed into power lines in Napa Valley, leaving three passengers with electrical burns.

You can reach Staff Writer Andrew Beale at 707-521-5205 or andrew.beale@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @iambeale.