19990528038009I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Thundr AX7-77 · Anderson, SC · May 28, 1999

Date: May 28, 1999 · 07:15 local
Place: Anderson, SC
Phase of flight: Descent
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N7005J
Reported as: Thundr AX777
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0

N7005JRegistered now · Head Balloons AX7-77S/N 138 · Built 1987 Airframe modelHead Balloons AX7-77 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.

(-23) While attempt to land, the balloon encountered an unforecasted wind and turbulence. This turbulence was encountered at approximately 50 feet AGL. The balloon landed hard. The pilot and passenger were thrown from the basket. The pilot held on to the vent line and was dragged with the balloon for a short distance. The unoccupied balloon was blown across the landing field and came to rest in the trees one-half mile from the point of landing. There were no injuries to the pilot or passenger. There was no damage to property on the ground.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) WHILE ATTEMPT TO LAND, THE BALLOON ENCOUNTERED AN UNFORECASTED WIND AND TURBULENCE. THIS TURBULENCE WAS ENCOUNTERED AT APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET AGL. THE BALLOON LANDED HARD. THE PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE THROWN FROM THE BASKET. THE PILOT HELD ON TO THE VENT LINE AND WAS DRAGGED WITH THE BALLOON FOR A SHORT DISTANCE. THE UNOCCUPIED BALLOON WAS BLOWN ACROSS THE LANDING FIELD AND CAME TO REST IN THE TREES ONE-HALF MILE FROM THE POINT OF LANDING. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO THE PILOT OR PASSENGER. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO PROPERTY ON THE GROUND.