# Accident 19990509004829A: Arostr RX8, Morgan Hill, CA, May 9, 1999

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 9, 1999, 07:50 local time
- Place: Morgan Hill, CA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.1690° N, 121.6508° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.1690&lon=-121.6508&mi=10
- Aircraft: N70290, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N70290-1999-10-27) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Aerostar International RX 8 (registry code 7487008, https://openairdocs.org/model/aerostar-international-rx-8) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AROSTR RX8
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX99FA177](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX99FA177) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990509004829A

## Narrative

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

AEROSTAR RX-8 HOT AIR BALLOON STRUCK HIGH POWER LINES SHORTLY AFTER TAKE-OFF AND SUBSEQUENTLY CRASHED, ALL 3 POB HAVE SERIOUS INJURIES, THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES AE UNKNOWN. (-23)ON TAKEOFF FROM A FIELD, THE BALLOON DRIFTED ONTO A POWERLINE WHICH MAY HAVE IGNITED THE 10 GALLON LIFUID PROPANE TANK. THE BALLOON THEN BECAME ENGULFED IN FLAMES AND CRASHED IN A FARM FIELD.

## 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 LAX99FA177](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX99FA177), May 9, 1999: Aerostar Rally RX-8 (N70290), Morgan Hill, CA, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's selection of an inadequate takeoff site that did not allow sufficient horizontal clearance from obstacles in the takeoff path, and, his failure to ensure that all burners were connected…

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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