17 tourists rescued after hot air balloon ride over Napa Valley’s wine country turns sour

What was supposed to be a scenic trip over Napa Valley’s wine country turned into a wild ride for 17 tourists when their hot air balloon was forced to land Tuesday in a wildlife area.

The group of foodies and restaurant writers from abroad were visiting the Robert Mondavi Winery to celebrate its 50th anniversary during the weeklong trip and decided to take a morning hot air balloon ride over the Lake Berryessa area, KNTV-TV reported.

But the wine trip quickly turned sour.

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California Highway Patrol officer and air operations crew member Tom Lipsey spotted the hot air balloon as he was preparing for his first flight of the day.

The inflated, hot air balloon rested on a thin strip of land surrounded by ponds and sloughs, just three miles south of Napa County Airport. Officials say unusual winds likely played a role in the emergency landing in the Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife Area.

More than a dozen passengers appeared to be trapped. There was no road access to the area, the CHP said.

With no way to reach the stranded passengers, the CHP flight crew used its public address system to speak to them.

The flight crew determined nobody was injured by using its onboard camera system and hand gestures from the passengers.

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Because there was no road access, a CHP helicopter landed in the area and picked up the passengers in a series of flights. Firefighters later assessed the passengers for any medical needs.

A video posted on the CHP’s Facebook page shows passengers walking away from the deflated hot air balloon.

“They got a nice balloon ride and a free helicopter ride,” Lipsey told KGO-TV.

Napa Valley Balloons says the hot air balloon pilot did exactly what he was supposed to do when he was faced with shifting winds and landed safely.

“Balloons go where the wind takes them,” the company’s spokesman, Jeff Chatterton, said.

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UPDATES:

1:26 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Napa Valley Balloons.

This article was originally published at 10:33 a.m.