Superman Takes Off : But His Great Adventure Ends With Landing on Slope of Cowles Mountain

It took more than Kryptonite to bring down a larger-than-life, helium-filled replica of Superman that escaped its creators and took a 30-minute joy flight over the El Cajon skies Monday morning.

In a single bound, the 54-foot-high balloon broke loose from its tethers in the parking lot of Bigger Than Life, a company that makes oversized inflatables, and soared up to 7,000 feet before dropping and smashing into the side of Cowles Mountain, about three miles west of El Cajon.

“We had just finished the device, filled it with helium, and a couple of the tethers severed or something let go,” said Roger Christianson, vice president of Bigger Than Life. “Luckily, it landed on Cowles Mountain. We were very afraid it would land on a freeway or power line.”

Popped Free on Final Stress Test

Workers, who spent five months crafting the invincible inflatable for an Azusa, Calif., company for the Rose Parade in Pasadena, were administering the final stress test when the balloon broke loose, Christianson said.

“The inflatable shape was perfect,” Christianson said. “We have never done helium before. We were really shocked at how good it worked.”

Because Superman’s flight encroached on airspace controlled by Lindbergh Field, officials at Bigger Than Life immediately alerted the Federal Aviation Administration. The balloon, which was leaking helium from its uncapped stem, crashed against the mountain without incident 30 minutes after it took flight.

“It hit some rocks and grass, but it made a perfect landing,” Christianson said. “Thank God no one was hurt.”

Climbing on their hands and knees, 10 Bigger Than Life workers rescued the deflated super hero from his resting place a few hundred feet from the top of Cowles Mountain. Except for some minor cape damage, the $60,000 Superman escaped major injury and is expected to be repaired and delivered in plenty of time for the Jan. 2 Rose Parade.