Passenger films terrifying moment hot air balloon crashes

A terrifying video captures the moment a hot air balloon crash-landed in the US state of California after it got swept up in a powerful gust of wind.

There were several people on board as the balloon plummeted toward the ground, including Nicholas McCall who was documenting his first ever ride for TikTok.

The dramatic scenes were shared on TikTok this week with local outlet KABC-TV reporting Monday that no one was injured in the crash after the pilot urged people to "hang on" and "stay in the basket."

The balloon ride started off like any other with passengers enjoying the view of San Diego County from the sky. But suddenly, as they made their descent, things took an ugly turn.

"Here we go!" the balloon's pilot can be heard shouting to passengers as they all brace for impact.

"Everybody hang on! Everybody hang on and stay in the basket!" he shouts as the vessel is dragged to the ground at high speeds.

The shaky 20-second footage appears to capture the basket being lifted up, before being slammed down again. It's then dragged at a 45-degree angle across the ground.

The pilot continues to put the passengers at ease by screaming "stay on" on repeat until the basket eventually comes to a stop.

Captioning the video, Mr McCall revealed: "We are all okay" and urged TikTok not to delete the video.

Pilot praised: 'Well done'

People in the comments praised the hot air balloon pilot for his communication throughout the ordeal.

"The pilot was smart to keep communicating, well done," one said.

"The man seems like he’s been in this situation many times before," said another

Mr McCall confirmed in the comments that "the pilot was very good", and added that "he handled it perfectly.

• Helicopter crashes in NSW Snowy Mountains with five people on board

• Five people killed after hot-air balloon plunges onto busy street

• Pilot praised for emergency landing after hot air balloon burst into flames

It's believed the crash was caused by strong winds which caused complications while attempting to land.

According to a study by the National Library of Medicine, almost 80 per cent of crashes in the US are blamed on winds.

The study also revealed that over a 12 year period, between 2000 and 2011, 78 balloon tours crashed in the US.

Of the 518 occupants involved, there were five fatalities and 91 serious injuries reported.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.