There's a regular hot air balloon festival held every year in Albuquerque, New Mexico, so you'd figure they would know the lay of the land by now. But for the second time in several years, one of those giant inflatables has hit and knocked over the radio tower used by KKOB, one of the biggest stations in the state. (it's one of the only other high powered signals on 770 AM in the U.S. next to WABC.) It also has an FM repeater. 

It's not yet clear how it happened, but the good news is no one was hurt. The bad news - the station has been knocked off the air.

"KKOB 770 AM radio was off the air after its 800-foot tower was reduced to a twisted heap of white and red metal beams in a dirt lot in the North Valley.

“We’re obviously happy that no one was injured in the balloon or on the ground,” Jeff Berry, vice president for Cumulus Media Albuquerque, which runs KKOB... “That was our first concern.”

He said Cumulus has a plan in place to possibly have the AM station back on air in the next 24-48 hours but a “few things have to happen between now and then.”

What's really crazy is this isn't the first time. In 2004, another hot air balloon in the shape of Smokey Bear hit the same tower. No one was hurt in that 20 year old incident, although those inside the gondola had to climb down 60 storeys to get back to the ground. 

Some things never change!

Nobody injured after balloon crashes into AM radio tower in Alburquerque