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19970921035329I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Fantasy Sky Promotions FANTASY EIGHT · Canton, OH · September 21, 1997

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
September 21, 1997 · 18:10 local
Place
Canton, OH
Phase of flight
Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N307FB
People aboard
7
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
900 total80 in this make and model90 in the last 90 days
N307FBRegistration cancelled Dec 15, 2016 · Fantasy Sky Promotions FANTASY EIGHTS/N 072 · Built 1994Airframe modelFantasy Sky Promotions FANTASY EIGHTEngine 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: the pilot stated that the balloon was traveling in a southerly direction and began to encounter moderate turbulence. He (the pilot) decided to land immediately. As the balloon was approaching the intended landing site the balloon got caught in a thermal down-draft causing the balloon to land short of the intended landing site. The basket of the balloon collided hard with the ground causing the balloon to bounce. When the balloon bounced the envelope of the balloon struck the power lines along the side of road, and the wires arced melting some of the balloon fabric. The balloon came to rest on the paved street, the passengers disembarked the basket and the basket was disconnected from the balloon. The balloon was entangled in the power lines and the power company had to remove the balloon envelope from the wires. There were five (5) adults and one (1) child onboard, no injuries were sustained by any of the occupants of the balloon. Preliminary investigation reveals that the balloon encountered unforeseen turbulence, that was not forecasted in the latest weather report that was received by the pilot. The pilot used poor judgment in the selection of a landing area to execute a precautionary landing.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: THE PILOT STATED THAT THE BALLOON WAS TRAVELING IN A SOUTHERLY DIRECTION AND BEGAN TO ENCOUNTER MODERATE TURBULENCE. HE (THE PILOT) DECIDED TO LAND IMMEDIATELY. AS THE BALLOON WAS APPROACHING THE INTENDED LANDING SITE THE BALLOON GOT CAUGHT IN A THERMAL DOWN-DRAFT CAUSING THE BALLOON TO LAND SHORT OF THE INTENDED LANDING SITE. THE BASKET OF THE BALLOON COLLIDED HARD WITH THE GROUND CAUSING THE BALLOON TO BOUNCE. WHEN THE BALLOON BOUNCED THE ENVELOPE OF THE BALLOON STRUCK THE POWER LINES ALONG THE SIDE OF ROAD, AND THE WIRES ARCED MELTING SOME OF THE BALLOON FABRIC. THE BALLOON CAME TO REST ON THE PAVED STREET, THE PASSENGERS DISEMBARKED THE BASKET AND THE BASKET WAS DISCONNECTED FROM THE BALLOON. THE BALLOON WAS ENTANGLED IN THE POWER LINES AND THE POWER COMPANY HAD TO REMOVE THE BALLOON ENVELOPE FROM THE WIRES. THERE WERE FIVE (5) ADULTS AND ONE (1) CHILD ONBOARD, NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED BY ANY OF THE OCCUPANTS OF THE BALLOON. PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION REVEALS THAT THE BALLOON ENCOUNTERED UNFORESEEN TURBULENCE, THAT WAS NOT FORECASTED IN THE LATEST WEATHER REPORT THAT WAS RECEIVED BY THE PILOT. THE PILOT USED POOR JUDGMENT IN THE SELECTION OF A LANDING AREA TO EXECUTE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING.

Other reports on N307FB · 1

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

Incident 19950722019209ITo Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct) · Canton, OHNarrative: the pilot stated that during this test flight that the balloon was tethered by three lines to the basket to a height of about sixty feet. The balloon was located in a field adjacent to a super market and attached to the balloon was a car dealership…Jul 22, 1995 · Reported as Amtrqk FANTASY1 · Minor damage