Hot air balloon makes surprise landing in St Kilda, Melbourne

A hot air balloon pilot has managed a smooth emergency landing on Melbourne’s famous St Kilda Beach after it struggled to gain altitude. 

Early morning walkers watched as the balloon navigated through buildings, glided across a main road before slamming into a road sign at about 7.30am on Wednesady morning.

Video shows the balloon then making a smooth landing on St Kilda beach. 

One witness shared the video to Instagram, captioning it a ‘close call in St Kilda’ – with viewers commending the pilot’s ‘great effort’ in managing to land it. 

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The hot air balloon had a ‘close call’ with buildings and a main road, before colliding with a road sign during it’s descent 

The balloon left onlookers alarmed as it narrowly missed residential rooftops and a main road

The incident follows another hot air balloon being forced to make an emergency landing in a local park in Melbourne’s Ascot Vale last Friday.

Both police and the hot balloon operator said Walter Street Reserve in the city’s west was a scheduled landing location.

Alarmed residents shared photos of the balloon as it flew low close to homes before it hit the ground.

‘I was on my morning walk and I noticed this hot air balloon getting lower and lower and it just made an emergency landing right near the goal posts,’ Christine told Radio 3AW.

No injuries were reported.

Ascot Vale residents were shocked to find hot air balloon in the middle of a local reserve

The hot air balloon was spotted flying close to homes before it hit the ground, sparking alarm

The incidents come months after a hot air balloon with 13 passengers on board crashed in a suburban street in Melbourne’s south.

The balloon was on its maiden journey for an 18th birthday surprise before it crashed into residential buildings about 7:20am.

Emergency services were called to the scene at Tiuna Grove in Elwood, but no injuries were reported. 

The pilot, Nick Brau, of Liberty Flights, told the Today Show a valve malfunction had forced him to make the emergency landing.  

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A birthday hot air balloon ride went wrong when a valve malfunction forced it to make an emergency landing on a suburban street

‘We had a malfunction with one of the valves in the balloon,’ he said. 

‘So we were losing a lot of heat. I was trying to take it to the beach only 200 metres away. Just didn’t manage to get there.’ 

Mr Brau, who has more than 27-years experience ballooning, said this is the first time he’s come down. 

The spate of emergency landings led some to question what has been happening with hot air balloons, with ‘so many incidents [happening] recently’.