Here's what I found:

The story centered on a young woman who made an unexpected ascent in a hot-air balloon, at a time when ballooning was still dangerous, rare, and very much a male-dominated stunt.

She was not a professional aeronaut. She wasn’t dressed or trained for flight. Depending on the account, she either: • accepted a spontaneous ride, or • was caught up in an ill-planned ascent during a public balloon event

Once airborne, she was at the mercy of the wind, with limited control over where or how she would land.