A bloke was forced to cling on for dear life after a sudden gust of wind launched a hot air balloon he was working on into the air.

The 18-year-old assistant pilot was taken to hospital after a four-metre fall off the balloon in Pirenópolis, Goiás, Brazil, but has since been discharged.

Reports in his native Brazil say that a strong gust of wind could have caused the lad to jump off the edge of the craft as it rose suddenly.

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"He held onto the edge of the balloon's basket and ended up going up in the captive flight, which is the flight held by ropes," explained pilot Marcos Vinicius.

He also reported the assistant was leaning on the edge of the structure until the balloon began to descend. Then he jumped from a height of four meters.

"He hit the ground with the wrong foot. He was immediately released and is already at home. This type of incident happens in our segment," he said.

"What we can do is to instruct so that it doesn't happen."

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The company, Fly Now Ballooning, stated a strong gust of wind could have been to blame.

"At m from the ground, on average, he ended up coming loose, but fortunately nothing serious happened to him. By procedure, the Samu (emergency services) was called and the employee was released from the hospital without abrasions or injuries," a statement read.

“I was rescued by the Samu team and taken to the hospital. I also thank the ballooning team, who provided sincere assistance to me and my family. Thank you all. I'm fine," the young lad told Brazilian media.

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