19970801026189I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Camron O65 · Louisville, KY · August 1, 1997

Date: August 1, 1997 · 20:00 local
Place: Louisville, KY
Phase of flight: Final Approach
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N7402P
Reported as: Camron O65
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 58 total58 in this make and model11 in the last 90 days

N7402PRegistration cancelled Jan 25, 2013 · Cameron Balloons US O-77S/N 5126 Airframe modelCameron Balloons US O-77 Engine modelNONENone

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: during pole grab event at balloon competition at tom sawyer park, Louisville, KY pilot allowed a high rate of descent while approaching pole to grab prize. Pilot was applying burner heat while grabbing pole. Basket struck ground and tilted in direction of flight and the burner gimballed in same direction, resulting in flame melting a hole about 18 inches in diameter in lower portion of envelope fabric. Two panels, totalling about 4 square feet, required replacement. Cause was inexperience coupled with target fixation.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: DURING POLE GRAB EVENT AT BALLOON COMPETITION AT TOM SAWYER PARK, LOUISVILLE, KY PILOT ALLOWED A HIGH RATE OF DESCENT WHILE APPROACHING POLE TO GRAB PRIZE. PILOT WAS APPLYING BURNER HEAT WHILE GRABBING POLE. BASKET STRUCK GROUND AND TILTED IN DIRECTION OF FLIGHT AND THE BURNER GIMBALLED IN SAME DIRECTION, RESULTING IN FLAME MELTING A HOLE ABOUT 18 INCHES IN DIAMETER IN LOWER PORTION OF ENVELOPE FABRIC. TWO PANELS, TOTALLING ABOUT 4 SQUARE FEET, REQUIRED REPLACEMENT. CAUSE WAS INEXPERIENCE COUPLED WITH TARGET FIXATION.