# Accident 19961005043399A: Avianw SKYHAWK, Albuquerque, NM, October 5, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 5, 1996, 06:45 local time
- Place: Albuquerque, NM
- Phase of flight: Takeoff Ground Roll
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.0845° N, 106.6511° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Albuquerque, NM, within about 8 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.0845&lon=-106.6511&mi=10
- Aircraft: N47AV, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N47AV-2023-02-04) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Avian Balloon SKYHAWK (registry code 0900104, https://openairdocs.org/model/avian-balloon-skyhawk) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AVIANW SKYHAWK
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 576 total, 400 in this make and model, 10 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW97LA011](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97LA011) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19961005043399A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

GROUND CREWMAN INJURED WHEN BALLOON LIFTED. HAND CAUGHT IN A ROPE. LIFTED 20FT THEN GOT LOOSE AND FELL. (-23) ON 10/05/96 AT 5:45 AM MDT, A GROUND CREWMEMBER SUFFERED SERIOUS INJURIES WHILE ASSISTING IN THE PREDAWN LAUNCH OF AVIAN AX8 HOT AIR BALLOON (N47AV). THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED NEAR THE TRAMWAY BLVD. AND I-25 INTERSECTION, IN ALBUQUERQUE, NM. THE AIRCRAFT WAS PREPARING TO LAUNCH FOR THE "DAWN PATROL", AND THEN CONTINUE ON A PLEASURE FLIGHT. DURING LAUNCH, THE GROUND CREWMEMBER'S FINGERNAILS BECAME CAUGHT IN A ROPE THAT SECURES AN ASSIST HANDLE TO THE GONDOLA. BY THE TIME SHE COULD FREE HERSELF, THE BALLOON WAS ABOVE 20 FEET AGL. THE CREWMEMBER FELL ONTO AN INFLATING BALLOON AND SLID DOWN THE SIDE OF THE ENVELOPE BEFORE CONTRACTING THE GROUND AND SUSTAINING INJURIES. THE AIRCRAFT IS REGISTERED TO HOWARD F. KENNEDY;^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^               VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. MR. KENNEDY HOLDS A US COMMERCIAL PILOT CERTIFICATE # 507423020.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB FTW97LA011](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97LA011), Oct 5, 1996: Avian Balloon Skyhawk (N47AV), Albuquerque, NM, no damage. Probable cause: The ground crew member's failure keep clear from the gondola during take off. A factor was the pilot's failure to insure crew coordination during take off.

## Other reports on N47AV (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 19870215013279I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19870215013279I), Feb 15, 1987: Avianw SKYHAWK (N47AV), Albuquerque, NM, Minor damage. Balloon touched down, wind picked balloon back up and into powerlines and trees.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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