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ABC’s “Wife Swap” family’s balloon is subject of airborne drama

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The experimental balloon that floated over eastern Colorado for more than two hours before landing in a field about 12:45 p.m. PDT reportedly did not contain the 6-year-old boy who was believed to have climbed aboard the craft earlier today.

The boy’s family recently appeared on ‘Wife Swap,’ an ABC reality show.

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The Heene family -- which includes storm scientist Richard, his wife, Mayumi, and their three children -- was featured on last fall’s edition of the program, which takes two families with differing values and switches the mothers for a two-week period. They were described in press materials as adventure-loving and were paired with a more staid family from Connecticut.

A source said the youngest child, Falcon, climbed into the balloon-like aircraft and was aloft over the skies of eastern Colorado.

After traveling aloft for more than two hours, the homemade aircraft landed in a field and was surrounded by rescue personnel. The child’s fate was unclear.

-- Dawn Chmielewski

--Photo: Heene family in front of hot air balloon at their home/Credit: ABC

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