A Munith man was in fair condition Monday in a South Carolina hospital after surviving an estimated 9,000-foot fall a day earlier in the basket of his hot-air balloon.

The fall occurred as experienced pilot Chuck Walz was flying in the Great Southeast Balloon Fest in Anderson, S.C. His balloon deflated and was flapping back and forth until it landed in an oak tree in an Anderson neighborhood, said Sgt. Adam Zenoni of the Anderson Fire Department.Although the branches cushioned Walz's fall Sunday morning, the impact threw him from the basket about 12 feet from the ground. He was conscious when a rescue team arrived.

"The (basket) snapped a branch that was about 10 inches in diameter," Zenoni said. "If he hadn't landed in that tree, it would have been a lot different of an outcome. I don't think he would have survived without the tree."

Marvin TenBrink, a member of Walz's crew in the balloon fest, said Walz gave him the thumbs-up when he arrived at the scene of the crash landing.

"I knew we had a good guy there that wasn't ready to be taken," TenBrink told The Greenville (S.C.) News.

Efforts to reach Walz were unsuccessful Monday. One of his family members said Walz hopes to be transferred to the University of Michigan Hospital, but would stay overnight in the South Carolina hospital.

David Seekell of Jackson has flown in ballooning competitions for 14 years with Walz, whom he described as a highly skilled pilot. He said the local balloonist community was shocked to hear the news.

"Everybody I've talked to that's down there, or has talked with him or his family, has said that he is in good spirits, laughing, joking and being his old self," Seekell said.

"We call him 'Chuckles' because he's always smiling and he always has a pleasant thing to say to you."

Walz was one of about 90 pilots flying in the Great Southeast Balloon Fest, a national competition that tests navigational abilities, event coordinator Dan Stukas said. The competition has not had a similar incident in any of the last nine years that Anderson County has hosted the event, he said.

The National Transportation Safety Board has assigned an investigator to determine what caused the balloon to deflate, spokesman Peter Knudson said. The board's investigation will take six to 12 months.

Walz is a utility technician and weighmaster for the Jackson County Road Commission. He has worked for the commission for about 30 years, Road Commission Chairman Anthony Philipps said.

Phillips said he was awaiting more information about Walz's condition.