ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 385605
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| Date: | Sunday 15 July 2001 |
| Time: | 20:00 LT |
| Type: |  Aerostar International Inc RXS-8 |
| Owner/operator: | Sunny Day Escapes, Inc |
| Registration: | N7106F |
| MSN: | RZS8-3054 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 269 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Flemington, NJ -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | Rarinton, NJ (NONE) |
| Flemington, NJ (NONE) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot checked the weather at 1400 and 1700, and determined that there was no significant weather forecasted along the intended route of flight. He and his passengers departed around 1900 along with several other balloons for the sightseeing flight. The pilot said that clouds began to gather to the northwest during the flight, and "the cell became more ominous" and "apparent that it would overtake us." The pilot said that the wind shifted and increased in speed, and each attempt to land was aborted due to the high vertical wind shear. On the last attempt to land, the pilot said that "violent down drafts" were experienced and he was unable to abort the landing. The balloon made contact with a tree, and was momentarily tangled. Once free, the pilot observed power lines and a cell phone tower, and elected to "pull the top" about 30-feet above the ground. The balloon contacted the ground at a high rate of descent and forward airspeed, which resulted in the balloon being dragged about 70 feet. The pilot reported that the weather was overcast with light rain, and the winds were from the northwest at a speed greater than 10 knots. Examination of a radar summary chart revealed that the primary radar site for New Jersey was not available. However, the surrounding radar sites did deflect echoes in the northern New Jersey area, but only reported level 1 and 2 activity.
Probable Cause: pilot's continued flight into known adverse weather conditions, which resulted in a hard landing. A factor was the downdrafts.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB IAD01LA080
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 05-Apr-2024 05:59 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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