AP Photo/Mark McBreairty
In this photo provided by Mark McBreairty, a balloon cluster carrying Jonathan Trappe lifts off from Caribou, Maine, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2013. Unlike a conventional hot-air balloon, Trappe lifted off Thursday using hundreds of helium-filled balloons clustered together. Trappe hopes to be the first person to successfully complete a trans-Atlantic flight using the balloon cluster.
Jonathan Trappe, 39, took off from northeastern Maine on Wednesday night. A technical issue with the balloons forced him to touch down early, in Newfoundland, Canada.
"Thankfully he is safe and well and currently making preparations to get home," Kevin Knapp told the Telegraph, speaking from the flight's command center.
Trappe is the only person to cross the English Channel by cluster balloon, according to The Telegraph. He has crossed the Alps the same way.
Before beginning the Atlantic attempt, he wrote on his website, "I have been looking at an epic challenge-- one that honestly may prove beyond me. I have been looking at it for years, and I've changed my entire life to make it happen."
The journey was supposed to take between three and six days, with no set destination. "I could literally land in North Africa, Portugal, Spain, France, the United Kingdom (or) all the way up to Norway," Trappe told the Bangor Daily News.
Newfoundland must be a disappointment.
Here's the course Trappe ended up following:
