19950108001909I

Incident

FAA incident report · Natbal 858 · Louisville Town, MN · January 8, 1995

Date
January 8, 1995 · 15:55 local
Place
Louisville Town, MN
Phase of flight
Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Aircraft
N7271K
Reported as
Natbal 858
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
398 total398 in this make and model7 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: aircraft departed carver county at approximately 1330 local time. Twenty minutes later, the pilot light extinguished and could not be relit. During descent, pilot noticed power lines and decided to "dump" the envelope. Aircraft touched down between some trees and the power lines, but the wind blew the envelope over power lines as it deflated. There was an interruption to power, but no other damage or injuries were reported. The pilot/owner is commercial rated. VFR conditions prevailed. The intended point of landing was jordan, MN. Not a pilot deviation. Aircraft departed carver county and experienced a pilot light failure at approximately thirty minutes into the flight. Reason for the failure is still under investigation. Pilot reports that the fuel tanks had been pressurized with nitrogen prior to the flight and this might have contributed to the pilot light failure.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: AIRCRAFT DEPARTED CARVER COUNTY AT APPROXIMATELY 1330 LOCAL TIME. TWENTY MINUTES LATER, THE PILOT LIGHT EXTINGUISHED AND COULD NOT BE RELIT. DURING DESCENT, PILOT NOTICED POWER LINES AND DECIDED TO "DUMP" THE ENVELOPE. AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN BETWEEN SOME TREES AND THE POWER LINES, BUT THE WIND BLEW THE ENVELOPE OVER POWER LINES AS IT DEFLATED. THERE WAS AN INTERRUPTION TO POWER, BUT NO OTHER DAMAGE OR INJURIES WERE REPORTED. THE PILOT/OWNER IS COMMERCIAL RATED. VFR CONDITIONS PREVAILED. THE INTENDED POINT OF LANDING WAS JORDAN, MN. NOT A PILOT DEVIATION. AIRCRAFT DEPARTED CARVER COUNTY AND EXPERIENCED A PILOT LIGHT FAILURE AT APPROXIMATELY THIRTY MINUTES INTO THE FLIGHT. REASON FOR THE FAILURE IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION. PILOT REPORTS THAT THE FUEL TANKS HAD BEEN PRESSURIZED WITH NITROGEN PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT AND THIS MIGHT HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE PILOT LIGHT FAILURE.