# Accident 19970413005829A: Head AX888HEAD, San Diego, CA, April 13, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 13, 1997, 18:53 local time
- Place: San Diego, CA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 32.9502° N, 117.1906° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.9502&lon=-117.1906&mi=10
- Aircraft: N380P, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N380P-2013-04-29) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Head Balloons AX8-88 (registry code 4280200, https://openairdocs.org/model/head-balloons-ax8-88) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: HEAD AX888HEAD
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 40 total, 40 in this make and model, 3 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX97LA159](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97LA159) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970413005829A

## Narrative

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

BALLOON CAME DOWN FAST, HIT GROUND, EXPLOSION, BALLOON WENT BACK UP, ANOTHER EXPLOSION HIT POWERLINES, BRUSH FIRE. (.4)THE PILOT OF THE HOT AIR BALLOON INTENTIONALLY INDUCED A HIGH SINK RATE TO AVOID POWER LINES WITH INSUFFICIENT ALTITUDE REMAINING TO RETURN TO A NOMINAL SINK RATE PRIOR TO IMPACT WITH THE GROUND. ALL OCCUPANTS WERE EJECTED FROM THE BASKET, AND THE BALLOON THEN DRIFTED AWAY UNTIL IT WAS BROUGHT TO REST BY CONTACT WITH SOME NEARBY POWER LINES.

## 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 LAX97LA159](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97LA159), Apr 14, 1997: Head Balloons AX8-88 (N380P), San Diego, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's decision to increase sink rate to avoid flying into an obstacle with insufficient altitude remaining to reduce the sink rate prior to impact with the ground.

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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