Why did a hot air balloon pilot land in front of an East Pierce County grocery store?

Eliav Cohen said landing a hot air balloon in the Fred Meyer parking lot at 1201 Valley Ave. was the plan.

“We were just going on an adventure,” he said.

Cohen is the chief pilot and owner of Seattle Ballooning, a hot air balloon ride agency based in King County. The agency offers rides to the public from May to September every year.

Earlier this week those in the Sumner and South Hill area posted photos and videos on Facebook of a giant hot air balloon hovering in the sky.

Cohen said the hot air balloon locals saw and two other balloons launched Sunday, June 11, from a private property near a high school in Auburn. Crews noticed that day that winds were blowing west, which doesn’t happen often, he said.

The balloons eventually flew over Lake Tapps. Pilots had two options – to land on a farm in Bonney Lake or someplace in Sumner.

“We weren’t sure where we were going to land for sure,” Cohen said. “15 minutes into the flight and based on the winds, the three balloon pilots chatted on our aircraft radios and decided it would be fun to go to Sumner. Halfway through the flight and based on the wind is when you make your general decision.”

Cohen’s balloon landed at Fred Meyer. Another balloon landed in an open lot south of the grocery store while the other balloon landed at Sumner High School.

“You don’t have an exact place you’re going to land until a minute or two before you land,” he said.

Pilots must be aware of where they’re landing – the parking lot “made sense,” he said.

“It’s my job as a pilot to make sure that we provide great experiences that are safe,” Cohen said. “I’m thankful for my crew — I could not have done that without our crew … being prepared and trained.”

No one was hurt or injured. Minutes after Cohen landed, his wife sent him a text message when she realized he was in front of a grocery store. She asked for eggs and milk.

Cohen said her text was “the greatest comedic timing.”

This story was originally published June 17, 2023 at 5:00 AM.

Angelica Relente

The News Tribune

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Angelica Relente covers topics that affect communities in East Pierce County. She started as a news intern in June 2021 after graduating from Washington State University. She is also a member of Seattle’s Asian American Journalists Association. She was born in the Philippines and spent the rest of her childhood in Hawaii.