# Incident 20000328016429I: Colt COLT180A, Santa Rosa, CA, March 28, 2000

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 28, 2000, 07:50 local time
- Place: Santa Rosa, CA
- Airport: Sonoma County
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.4405° N, 122.7144° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Santa Rosa, CA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.4405&lon=-122.7144&mi=10
- Aircraft: N61406 (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: COLT COLT180A
- People aboard: 9
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 950 total, 600 in this make and model, 20 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000328016429I

## Narrative

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

(-23)BALLOON INCIDENT AS STS, HEILDSBURG, CA. A BALLOON PILOTED BY ^PRIVACY DATA ^, CARRY 8 PASSENGERS.  THE BALLOON CONTACTED THE UPPER PORTION OF A TREE UPON TAKE OFF FROM RODNEY STRONG VINEYARDS, APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES NORTH OS STS.  THIS OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET AGL.  THERE WERE NO INJURIES, THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE LOWER ENVELOPE FABRIC.  BECAUSE THERE WAS NO SUITABLE LANDING AREA AND THE CLOSE PROXIMITY OF THE VINEYARDS, THE FLIGHT WAS CONTINUED TO STS.  ON APPROACH TO THE EASTERN CORNER OF THE AIRPORT, THE BALLOON WAS DESCENDING AND DID NOT CLEAR THE UPPER PORTION OF A LINE OF TREES THAT WERE BORDERING THE EASTERN EDGE OF THE AIRPORT.  AFTER BRUSHING THE TREE AND FURTHER TEARING THE LOWER PORTION OF THE ENVELOPE, THE BALLOON LANDED ON THE AIRPORT.  THE BASKET REMINED UPRIGHT AND THE BALLOON WAS DEFLATED.  THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO OCCUPANTS OR THE PILOT.  THE ENVELOPE WAS SENT TO A REPAIR STATION(QLFR6601) FOR INSPECTION AND REPAIR.  THE INSPECTION REVEALED THE BALLOON HAD TORN 17 PANELS IN A-F SECTION.  THIS IS IN THE LOWER THIRD, NO LOAD TAPES WERE DAMAGED.

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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