ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 40402
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| Date: | Sunday 16 July 1989 |
| Time: | 08:58 |
| Type: |  Piccard AX-6 |
| Owner/operator: | Mary Murtorff |
| Registration: | N85DP |
| MSN: | 732 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Houston, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Houston, TX |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
THE BALLOON FAILED TO ESTABLISH A CLIMB AND CLEAR A SET OF POWER LINES DESPITE THE FACT THAT, ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE PILOT ACTUATED THE BURNER REPEATEDLY. WHEN IT STRUCK POWER LINES, A TANK EXPLODED, AND THE BASKET WAS RELEASED AND CONSUMED BY FIRE. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE DEFLATION SYSTEM HAD NOT BEEN ACTIVATED PRIOR TO THE WIRE STRIKE. ALSO, THE ENVELOPE WAS IN POOR REPAIR, WHICH DECREASED ITS EFFFICIENCY. THE PRIVATE BALLOON PILOT HAD ACCUMULATED A TOTAL OF 9 HOURS AS PIC OUT OF A TOTAL OF 24. CAUSE: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO ABORT THE ATTEMPT TO CLEAR THE OBSTACLE. FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE POOR CONDITION OF THE BALLOON ENVELOPE AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF EXPERIENCE AS PILOT IN COMMAND OF BALLOON OPERATIONS.
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001213X28830
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
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