# Incident 19981009029069I: Thundr AX890S2, Albuqerque, NM, October 9, 1998

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 9, 1998, 10:11 local time
- Place: Albuqerque, NM
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Ops On Grnd From Ldg/Rtrcrft
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.0598° N, 106.6194° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.0598&lon=-106.6194&mi=10
- Aircraft: N790TC, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N790TC-2010-12-09) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Thunder & Colt Airborne Amer AX8-90 S 2 (registry code 2301214, https://openairdocs.org/model/thunder-colt-airborne-amer-ax8-90-s-2) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: THUNDR AX890S2
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 323 total, 323 in this make and model, 12 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN99LA011](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN99LA011) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19981009029069I

## Narrative

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

HOT AIR BALLOON WAS LANDING WHEN THE WIND SHIFTED, AND THE ACFT STRUCK A POWER LINE. ON 10/09/98, APPROXIMATELY 1011 MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME, A THUNDER & COLT MODEL AX9, N790TC, OPERATED BY MR. JOSEPH A. SMITH WAS DAMAGED WHEN IT DRAPED OVER A POWERLINE WHILE DEFLATING APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES SOUTH OF THE BALLOON FIESTA FEILD, ALBEQUERQUE, NM. THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND, AND FOUR PASSENGERS RECEIVED MINOR ELECTRICAL SHOCKS WHEN THE ENVELOPE WAS CAUGHT IN A CROSSWIND GUST AND DRAPED OVER THE PWOERLINE. MR. SMITH HOLDS A COMMERCIAL PILOT CERITIFICATE WITH LIGHTER-THAN-AIR, FREE BALLOON RATING. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE PLEASURE FLIGHT, WHICH WAS CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE BALLOON FIESTA FIELD, ALBUQUERQUE, NM, APPROXIMATELY 0730 MDT.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB DEN99LA011](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN99LA011), Oct 9, 1998: Thunder and Colt AX8-90 S 2 (N790TC), Albuquerque, NM, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's improper planning for his landing site approach which resulted in the balloon landing in close proximity to electrical transmission lines.

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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