ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 375361
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| Date: | Monday 31 March 1986 |
| Time: | 08:30 LT |
| Type: |  Balloon Works FIREFLY 8-24 |
| Owner/operator: | Mery Lee Patterson |
| Registration: | N3694C |
| MSN: | F8050 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 262 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 7 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Pheonix, AZ -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | Glendale, AZ |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
THE BALLOON COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN DURING A SIGHT SEEING TOUR. THE PLT NOTICED THE DUST SIGNATURE OF GROUND TURBULENT WX PHENOMENA KNOWN AS ROTORS OR DUST DEVILS ARPX 3 MILES AHEAD. HE ELECTED TO MAKE AN IMMEDIATE PRECAUTIONARY LANDING AND DESCENDED TO AN ALT OF 75 FT AGL. THE BALLOON WAS DRIFTING AT 3 TO 5 KTS OVER AN ORCHARD ON FINAL APCH TO AN OPEN FLD WHEN IT ENCOUNTERED THE ADVERSE WIND. THE BALLOON CHANGED ITS' DIRECTION OF TRAVEL 180 DEGS. THE PLT INITIATED A CLIMB BY SWITCHING ON BOTH BURNERS, BUT THE BALLOON DESCENDED AND WAS DRAGGED THROUGH THE TREE TOPS OF THE ORCHARD. AT 20 FT AGL THE BALLOON BEGAN TO CLIMB TO AN ALT OF 100 TO 120 FT AND THEN ENCOUNTERED A STRONG DOWNDRAFT.THE PLT SHUT OFF BOTH BURNERS AND PILOT LIGHTS AND THEN ALERTED THE PASSENGERS. THE PLT PULLED THE PARACHUTE DEFLATION PORT AND THE BALLOON LANDED HARD. ON IMPACT ONE PASSENGER WAS THROWN FROM THE BASKET AND SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES.
Probable Cause:
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX86LA159
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Mar-2024 19:04 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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