# Incident 19980904038269I: Hoffeld Walter BKW 120, Keystone, SD, September 4, 1998

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 4, 1998
- Place: Keystone, SD
- Airport: Mt Rushmore
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 43.8949° N, 103.4268° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Keystone, SD, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=43.8949&lon=-103.4268&mi=10
- Aircraft: N93BK, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N93BK-2018-09-14) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Hoffeld Walter BKW 120 (registry code 05624A4, https://openairdocs.org/model/hoffeld-walter-bkw-120) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980904038269I

## Narrative

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

(-23) THIS OFFICE WAS NOTIFIED BY NATIONAL PARK SERVICE RANGERS THAT A HOT AIR BALLOON WAS OBSERVED FLYING LOW OVER MT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL NEAR KEYSTONE, SD, ABOUT 7:30 A.M. ON SEPTEMBER 4, 1998. THEY WERE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE ORALLY WITH THE PILOT AND ASKED IF HE WAS HAVING ANY TROUBLE. HE REPLIED THAT HE WAS NOT AND BEGAN AN ASCENT. THE RANGERS THEN CONTACTED THE PENNINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF WHO FOLLOWED THE BALLOON UNTIL IT LANDED AND TALKED WITH THE PILOT. THE PILOT WAS IDENTIFIED AS MR. LEWAYNE COOPER. MR. COOPER TOLD THE SHERIFF THAT HE WAS CHANGING TANKS AND DESCENDED LOWER THAN HE INTENDED. INSPECTORS FROM THE RAP FSDO INTERVIEWED MR. COOPER ON SEPTEMBER 10, 1998, IN CUSTER, SD. MR. COOPER STATED THAT HE WAS ATTEMPTING A LANDING IN A PARKING LOT NEAR MT. RUSHMORE. WHEN HE WAS CONTACTED BY THE PARK SERVICE EMPLOYEES, HE DECIDED AGAINST A LANDING THERE AND WENT ON TO THE EDGE OF RAPID CITY, SD, NEAR SHERIDAN LAKE ROAD AND MOON MEADOWS AVE. AND LANDED. MR. COOPER SAID HE RECEIVED A BRIEFING THAT MORNING AND THE WINDS WERE FORECAST TO BE OUT OF THE WEST WHICH WOULD HAVE DRIFTED HIM OVER CUSTER STATE PARK, HIS INTENDED ROUTE. AFTER LIFTOFF, HE BEGAN DRIFTING NORTHWEST.       HE SAID HE CLIMBED TO 10,000 FEET TO GET A WESTERLY WIND BUT STILL WAS DRIFTING NORTHEAST. HIS GROUNDSPEED WAS VERY SLOW AND DUE TO THE LIMITED POSSIBLE LANDING SITES IN THE AREA HE SELECTED THE PARKING LOT NEAR MT. RUSHMORE. HE HAD BEEN AIRBORNE ABOUT 1.5 HOURS AND WAS CONCERNED ABOUT DEVELOPING THERMALS. WHEN CONTACTED BY THE PARK SERVICE EMPLOYEES, HE ABORTED HIS LANDING ATTEMPT AND CONTINUED DRIFTING SLOWLY TO THE NORTHEAST UNTIL LANDING NEAR RAPID CITY. WHEN ASKED ABOUT CHANGING TANKS, MR. COOPER SAID HE DID CHANGE TANKS JUST BEFORE HIS APPROACH TO THE MT. RUSHMORE PARKING LOT AND DID DESCEND, BUT NOT BELOW 1000 FEET UNTIL HE DECIDED TO ATTEMPT THE LANDING. THE HURON AFSS SAID THEY HAD A RECORD OF THE BRIEFING AND FORECAST THE WINDS AT 6,000 FEET TO BE FROM 240 DEGREES AT 6 KNOTS, 9,000 FOOT WINDS FROM 260 AT 8, AND 12,000 WINDS FROM 280 AT 10. BY CLIMBING TO 10,000 FEET, THE BALLOON SHOULD HAVE DRIFTED TO THE EAST OVER CUSTER STATE PARK INSTEAD OF OVER MT. RUSHMORE. MR. STEVE BAUER OF BLACK HILLS BALLOONS IN CUSTER, SD, WAS PRESENT DURING THE INTERVIEW AND CAUTIONED MR. COOPER ABOUT RELYING ON FORECAST WINDS AND ADVISED HIM TO SEND UP A HELIUM BALLOON PRIOR TO FLIGHT TO      DETERMINE CURRENT WIND DIRECTION. HE SAID EVEN THEN, THE WINDS CAN CHANGE AND THE PILOT NEEDS TO BE AWARE OF CHANGING WIND DIRECTION AND VELOCITY DUE TO THE LIMITED LANDING AREAS AVAILABLE IN PARTS OF THE BLACK HILLS. THIS INCIDENT IS CLOSED.

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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