Max Imstepf set off in his hot-air balloon from the Morrinsville Recreation Reserve with five passengers on board.
About an hour later, as he set the balloon down on farmland, the Crown says tragedy struck with the death of cow 208.
Imstepf denied charges in the Hamilton District Court this week ofoperating a hot-air balloon in a careless manner when dairy cows were in the immediate area, and of low-level flying.
His lawyer, Brett Cooper, said the Civil Aviation Authority complaint was false and driven by farmer John Faulkner's anger at not receiving the full insurance claim, which Mr Cooper said was inflated.
Mr Cooper said a vet would give evidence that the cow had died three hours before the April 2002 incident, a claim Mr Faulkner strongly denied.
Mr Faulkner also denied threatening Imstepf.
Even the weather is in dispute, with Crown witnesses telling of a perfect day, while Mr Cooper produced photos taken by Imstepf on that morning showing fog.
The authority, represented by Deborah Davies, said that after two botched landing attempts, Imstepf finally set down on the Faulkners' farm.
As the balloon passed beside a farm race, she said, its burner emitted a loud noise, spooking the cows.
Seeing the cows' distress, Mr Faulkner's wife Robin went to investigate and found one cow dead and another injured.
Her husband agreed in court that he had filed an insurance claim for $5937 for the death of one cow and injuries to four others.
He denied the claim was inflated.
Mr Faulkner received a final payment in July 2002 of $5200, minus the $680 he claimed for his time.
"I've got a business that has a gross value of $5 million," he said. "I think if I was to dishonestly try to do something, I'd do something a little more grandiose than that." The hearing continues.
