In this photo provided by Mark McBreairty, a balloon cluster carrying Jonathan Trappe lifts off from Caribou, Maine, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2013.
A North Carolina man attempting to complete the first trans-Atlantic flight held aloft by tethered party balloons made it 12 hours before being forced down on the Canadian coast.
Representatives for Jonathan Trappe said a technical problem cut short the journey and he stayed put overnight in a remote area in Newfoundland, CBS reports.
The 39-year-old IT consultant was expecting to fly for up to 6 days in his makeshift hot air balloon: 300 colorful helium-filled balloons carrying him in a life boat that he could use in case of trouble over the ocean. His team expected wind currents to bring him to Norway—or northern Africa.
[CBS News]