19970803020359A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Avianw MAGNUM IX · Donald, OR · August 3, 1997

Date: August 3, 1997 · 07:05 local
Place: Donald, OR
Phase of flight: Final Approach
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N20146
NTSB investigation: NTSBSEA97FA181
Reported as: Avianw Magnumix
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 1
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,000 total240 in this make and model58 in the last 90 days

N20146Registration cancelled Nov 8, 2013 · Avian Balloon MAGNUM IXS/N 184 · Built 1996 Airframe modelAvian Balloon MAGNUM IX 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.

Balloon landing to refuel, hit a tree, spilled occupants onto ground, then crashed. (.4)while attempting to land on the edge of an open field under near-calm conditions, the pilot allowed the balloon to settle into the top of a coniferous tree. As the balloon settled into the tree, the gondola tipped to the side and the nomex panel and horizontal load tape around the mouth of the envelope became snagged in the tree. As the gondola tipped, the seams on approximately half of the vertical load tapes were exposed to burner heat hot enough to cause failure of the seam thread, and the remainder of the vertical load tape seams failed as the balloon and the gondola pulled against the snagged horizontal load tape. When the last vertical load tape failed, the gondola separated from the envelope. After separating from the envelope, the gondola fell through the tree and impacted the ground.

As the FAA filed it

BALLOON LANDING TO REFUEL, HIT A TREE, SPILLED OCCUPANTS ONTO GROUND, THEN CRASHED. (.4)WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LAND ON THE EDGE OF AN OPEN FIELD UNDER NEAR-CALM CONDITIONS, THE PILOT ALLOWED THE BALLOON TO SETTLE INTO THE TOP OF A CONIFEROUS TREE. AS THE BALLOON SETTLED INTO THE TREE, THE GONDOLA TIPPED TO THE SIDE AND THE NOMEX PANEL AND HORIZONTAL LOAD TAPE AROUND THE MOUTH OF THE ENVELOPE BECAME SNAGGED IN THE TREE. AS THE GONDOLA TIPPED, THE SEAMS ON APPROXIMATELY HALF OF THE VERTICAL LOAD TAPES WERE EXPOSED TO BURNER HEAT HOT ENOUGH TO CAUSE FAILURE OF THE SEAM THREAD, AND THE REMAINDER OF THE VERTICAL LOAD TAPE SEAMS FAILED AS THE BALLOON AND THE GONDOLA PULLED AGAINST THE SNAGGED HORIZONTAL LOAD TAPE. WHEN THE LAST VERTICAL LOAD TAPE FAILED, THE GONDOLA SEPARATED FROM THE ENVELOPE. AFTER SEPARATING FROM THE ENVELOPE, THE GONDOLA FELL THROUGH THE TREE AND IMPACTED THE GROUND.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB SEA97FA181Accident · 1 fatalField investigationFinal reportDonald, ORThe pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a tree that was located on the edge of the field in which he was attempting to land.Aug 3, 1997 · Substantial damage