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Accident statistics indicate that the landing sequence is the portion of flight in which the most injuries occur. 

## The Approach 

An axiom of ballooning is “the best altitude for landing is the lowest altitude.” Anyone can land from one foot above the ground; it takes skill to land from 100 feet. The pilot’s ultimate goal in making the approach is to set himself up to make a smooth, gentle landing in the best possible location without causing damage to the balloon or injury to the passengers. 

Conventional wisdom indicates three types of approaches to landing in ballooning—stair step, straight line, and steep (previously discussed in Chapter 7, Inflight Maneuvers). In reality, the stair step and straight line approaches are considered the same type of approach, a controlled approach, while the steep approach is viewed as an accelerated approach. Any approach is considered to be a variation of one of these two or perhaps a combination. 

Of more importance, and a point frequently missed by newer or inexperienced pilots, is that the approach is being performed in two different planes or dimensions. Pilots are accustomed to thinking of the approach in vertical terms, but frequently discount the fact that the approach is also being performed on the horizontal plane. 

Refer to Figure 8-1.  This is the approach path to the selected landing site for this pilot. Most pilots presume that this will happen after making a determination of lower level winds, evaluating obstacle clearance, noting the presence of powerlines, and making the decision to commit to the landing. After that, the primary focus becomes making the descent without further consideration of the lateral or horizontal movement. 

In Figure 8-2,  the pilot has determined the winds below, and has set up for the same approach ensuring obstacle clearance, powerline considerations, and making the commitment to land. The difference here is that the pilot has a higher level 

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