ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 135302
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| Date: | Sunday 15 June 2003 |
| Time: | 08:30 |
| Type: |  Adams Balloon A55 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N4031Z |
| MSN: | 155 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Albuquerque, NM -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Albuquerque, NM (ABQ) |
| Albuquerque, NM (ABQ) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
According to the pilot he was approaching a vacant field for landing. The balloon crossed over a hot, paved parking lot, began to rotate and descended onto a live power line at the edge of the lot. The pilot attempted to recover; however, the balloon continued to sink, and the basket struck the top power line. The pilot stated "the speed at which the balloon was traveling forward was so slow that the wire brought the basket to a halt instead of snapping [the wire] in half." Subsequently, the basket slid down towards the ground. The power line came in contact with the suspension cable, "allowing electricity to run up the side of the balloon through the digital temperature wire." A fire ignited at the top when the electricity reached the sensor. The pilot stated the "pressure inside the balloon" rose, causing "a blast in the balloon that blew the top out,...draping the envelope over the live wire." Another fire erupted under the basket. The pilot and ground crew extinguished both fires.
Probable Cause: the pilot's improper planned approach for a landing and obstacle clearance not maintained. A contributing factor was the power lines.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20030618X00891&key=1
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Dec-2016 19:26 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 08-Dec-2017 18:48 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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