of homemade flying saucer crashes in colorado. 6 year old boy missing.

Float-Away Flying Saucer Lands in Colo.; Found Empty: A homemade UFO-like balloon crashes near Denver. It is believed that Falcon Heene, a 6-year-old boy who should be inside the balloon, is missing. The balloon was built by Falcon's father, Richard Heene who is a storm chaser, as an experiment for commuter travel. Both Richard Heene and his wife Mayumi Heene had twice appeared on the ABC show "Wife Swap".


[photo via]

An experimental balloon thought to be carrying a 6-year-old Colorado boy crashed near Denver this afternoon after a harrowing two-hour flight, but officials at the scene did not find the boy aboard the aircraft. Authorities believe Falcon Heene, 6, may have climbed into a box attached to the 20-foot aircraft, described by the Larimer County Sheriff's Office as a "homemade flying saucer," and floated away from his family's backyard in Fort Collins, Colo.

When the aircraft landed and was met by sheriff's officials, neither Falcon nor the box was found.

Kathy Messick, Larimer County sheriff's spokeswoman, says one of the boy's brothers saw him get into the box or basket, which was attached to the aircraft with pegs.

The 20-foot-long, dome-shaped aircraft covered with foil, was built by the boy's father Richard Heene, a former weatherman who said he was designing an aircraft for commuter travel.

See the video of the balloon below ("6 Year Old Boy Trapped and Floats Away in Helium Balloon").


Click here to watch the video of the balloon crash landing. Video captured by news crew helicopter.


Photo of the Heene family. Richard, Mayumi and three children, Bradford, Ryo and Falcon. [photo via]

Other links:
- Search for boy from storm chasing family continues
- Boy missing after floating away in helium balloon (video)
- See the Heene Boys in this music video