3 min readNew DelhiApr 20, 2026 03:27 PM IST
A man was stunned after he had 13 uninvited guests in the backyard of his house. Hunter Perrin was interrupted around 8.30 am on April 18, when a neighbour knocked on his door to alert him. A hot-air balloon carrying 13 people was forced to make an emergency landing in his backyard.
According to ABC7, the incident unfolded in Temecula, California. When Perrin stepped outside, he was stunned to see a balloon basket filled with passengers resting in his backyard.
“I opened the door and there they were, a full basket of people just sitting in my backyard,” ABC7 quoted Perrin. His wife, Jenna, who had been inside the house, ran out after hearing the disturbance and soon realised the unusual sound she had noticed moments earlier had come from the balloon’s burner.
According to Perrin, the balloon came down almost straight into the yard and avoided causing any damage to the surrounding property. “It was a precise drop. Nothing was hit, nothing damaged,” he was quoted as saying.
Passengers later revealed that the landing had not been part of the original plan. Brianna Avalos, who was celebrating her 10th wedding anniversary with her husband during the ride, said the pilot informed them while they were in the air that weather conditions had suddenly shifted. The wind had dropped, making it harder to control the balloon, while fuel was also becoming a concern, the report added.
“The pilot told us we had to land soon. He was aiming for the street, but we just couldn’t make it,” Avalos said.
Instead, the balloon drifted into the residential yard and landed safely. In a viral video, the 13 passengers of the balloon were seen waving at the camera. The CCTV footage further captures the landing with the members screeching in fear, however, the balloon makes a safe landing.
Watch here:
NEW: Man walks out to his backyard to find 13 people in a hot air balloon basket looking back at him in Temecula, California.
The resident, Hunter Perrin, says he was watching TV on Saturday morning when he got a knock on his front door from his neighbor.
“We walked into the… pic.twitter.com/nwAPHPH5zq
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 19, 2026
With over two million views, the video amassed a range of reactions. Several X users highlighted the dangers of hot-air balloons, with one commenting, “Funny scene, but it shows how thin safety margins are in low altitude tourism flights where a small planning error turns a residential backyard into an emergency landing zone, and the outcome depends more on luck than control.”
Story continues below this ad
“People have no idea how dangerous hot air balloons can be. The operator can only control altitude and needs to go up or down to catch the correct wind direction. Good luck if it catches on fire or hits a power line,” another user commented.
A third user chimed in, “It’s crazy how they have no self awareness, self preservation instincts to jump out of the basket as soon as it touches the ground.”
