# Incident 19970801026189I: Camron O65, Louisville, KY, August 1, 1997

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 1, 1997, 20:00 local time
- Place: Louisville, KY
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Final Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.2542° N, 85.7594° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Louisville, KY, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.2542&lon=-85.7594&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7402P, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N7402P-2013-01-25) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cameron Balloons US O-77 (registry code 1880207, https://openairdocs.org/model/cameron-balloons-us-o-77) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CAMRON O65
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 58 total, 58 in this make and model, 11 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970801026189I

## Narrative

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

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.

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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