It's like Pixar's Up, but real, and extremely troubling... In Colorado, authorities are searching for a young boy who was seen getting into box attached to a homemade helium balloon before it took off into the sky. But when the craft eventually crashed, the kid was nowhere to found: No sign of boy said to have floated off on balloon.
The 6-year-old, identified as Falcon Heene, apparently climbed into the basket early this morning, before the balloon became untethered and flew away. The aircraft was intended to hover around 20 feet in the air and was not intended to carry people. More here: 6-year-old boy missing after balloon lands in Colorado.
The craft was airborne for more than two hours and glided 7,000 feet over two counties. Search teams are scouring the area from the house in the direction that the balloon flew. Investigators are looking into every possibility, including whether the boy was ever in the balloon. A sheriff's spokeswoman says they don't think he fell out of the balloon.
But wait, you're thinking, what the heck was this family doing with this giant-ass balloon in their backyard? The Heenes are apparently storm chasing enthusiasts and are known for conducting extreme science experiments together: Family known for storm chasing, extreme science experiments.
In a weird twist, the "science-obsessed" family has apparently appeared on ABC's Wife Swap. Twice: Heene/Silver. More here: Falcon Heene (Or Ryo?): Balloon Boy, Wife Swap Son. Hope the kid's okay. Here's some video of the baloon crash landing: Homemade Balloon Aircraft Lands
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