20040228002859A

(-23) On February 28, 2004, at about 1630 EST (2130Z), an Aerostar Raven RX-7 rally, N4110M, contacted power lines during takeoff, resulting in fatal injuries to the pilot, who was the lone occupant of the aircraft. The balloon was placed on the ground on a field approximately 300 feet long and 100 feet wide. The field was between a gas station and a storage building with high tension wires on the north side along the street (etter drive). Layout and inflation of the balloon was normal. The wind was nearly calm, with an occasional light breeze from the south. Just as the balloon stood up, the ind increased in velocity and became gusty. The pilot called for weight on the balloon, and the ground crew members put weight on the basket. The wind was now strong enough to push the balloon and tip it slightly, making it behave as if it wanted to scoot along the ground. The pilot released the tie-down line, which was secured to the vehicle trailer. He activated the burner and told the crew to "weight off." The balloon ascended about 5 to 10 feet as it traveled north. When it had traveled about 30 feet, it settled back to the surface. It skimmed the ground as it continued to travel north. The pilot activated the burner a few times, apparently attempting to establish a normal ascent. The balloon did not rise as expected. At some point, the pilot apparently recognized that the aircraft would not clear the wires. The witnesses then observed him turn off the pilot light and close the fuel tank valves. He then pulled the redline to open the vent, in an apparent attempt to descend as much as possible before contacting the wires. Just before contact he ducked into the basket. The balloon suspension cables at two corners of the basket contacted the power lines about an inch above the burner frame. There were two bright flashes with showers of sparks. Those two suspension cables were severed, causing the basket to tip 90 degrees to a horizontal attitude. The pilot remained in the basket. The envelope of the aircraft, above the power lines, continued to move north with the wind. A balloon suspension cable at a third corner of the basket then contacted the power lines and was severed. The fourth suspension cable was ripped from the balloon envelope and the basket fell approximately 35 feet to the ground in a horizontal, not upright, attitude. The envelope, free of the basket, flew about 1500 feet to the north and crossed us 27, landing in a yard in a residential area. The pilot was injured, but was lucid and conversational. He was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead of blunt force trauma to the chest. After observing the accident site and analyzing the weather data and the witnesses' statements, I find it highly likely that the balloon experienced false lift, which the pilot did not anticipate nor plan for. Once he found himself in the situation, he was unable to compensate adequately. An earlier decision to open the vent and descend could have greatly mitigated the damage and injuries, while accepting the certainty of the upper portion of the balloon contacting the wires.