Lawn Chair Balloonists Recount Failed Flight

Two men flying matching lawn chairs suspended by helium-filled party balloons over Central Oregon last weekend were floating along peacefully at 14,000 feet when thunderstorms grabbed control of their homemade craft like a giant hand.

Kent Couch and Fareed Lafta (Fah-REED LAHF-tah) recounted their dream flight that turned into a nightmare in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday.

They had planned to fly from Bend, Ore., to Montana last Saturday but were forced to abort.

Lafta says they used their BB guns to shoot out balloons to control their altitude.

Couch says that left them with too few balloons to continue their journey, so they landed in a hayfield.

When they jumped out, the craft kept going, coming down five miles away.