ANDERSON, S.C. -- A hot-air balloon pilot is recovering at a local hospital after his balloon crashed in Anderson County on Sunday.

Chuck Walz, the balloon’s pilot from Munith, Mich., was listed in guarded condition at AnMed Hospital. Doctors said his injuries do not appear to be life-threatening.

Emergency crews said they were at the scene within minutes after the crash happened. They said a tree that Walz landed in may have saved his life.

“We noticed one falling in a straight line with no air in it,” said Mark Hanks, who photographed the falling balloon. “It looked like a rag falling through the air really.

The cause of the crash was being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.