The National Transportation Safety Board has issued its report on a hot-air balloon crash on Oct. 8, 2007, during last year's Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, that killed 60-year-old Rosemary Wooley Philips, KOAT-TV is reporting.

The balloon became tangled in power lines near Interstate 25 and Montano Road as winds kicked up that morning, and federal investigators have concluded that the pilot bears at least part of the blame, Action 7 News reported.

"The pilot became distracted when he saw another balloon hit a house," the report said. "The next thing he realized was that the wind had forced the balloon into power lines."

As the balloon remained hung up on the lines, one of the wires sawed a hole in the wicker basket where the pilot and four passengers were standing and the pilot threw a drop line to his chase crew hoping they could pull him free, KOAT-TV reported.

But the report also faults the ground crew in its report, saying "improper assistance" was one of the probable causes of the woman's death, Action 7 News said.

When the crew fastened the drop line to a truck and tried to tow the balloon free, the balloon came loose, the drop line broke, and the balloon shot into the air, the report stated.

A propane tank fell through the hole in the basket and Phillips fell through the hole as well.

Two other passengers were seriously injured in a crash landing moments later, KOAT-TV said.

The NTSB report also found some issues with the balloon itself that may have contributed to the crash, according to Action 7 News. 

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