# Accident 20041010023459A: Aerstr SPI, Albuquerque, NM, October 10, 2004

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 10, 2004, 08:35 local time
- Place: Albuquerque, NM
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.0400° N, 106.6092° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.0400&lon=-106.6092&mi=10
- Aircraft: N87SB, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N87SB) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Aerostar International SP I (registry code 7487806, https://openairdocs.org/model/aerostar-international-sp-i) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AERSTR SPI
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,148 total, 450 in this make and model, 25 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN05CA006](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN05CA006) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20041010023459A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON OCTOBER 10, 2004, AT 0835 MDT, AN AEROSTAR SP-I BALLOON, N87SB, REGISTERED TO FRIENDS OF SMOKEY BEAR BALLOON, COLLIDED WITH A RADIO TRANSMISSION TOWER WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT AT ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, WHILE PARTICIPATING IN THE ALBUQUERQUE INTERNATIONAL BALLOON FIESTA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED AND THE PILOT AND TWO PASSENGERS WERE UNHARMED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT THE ALBUQUERQUE INTERNATIONAL BALLOON FIESTA FIELD, ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, ON OCTOBER 10, 2004, AT 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 DEN05CA006](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN05CA006), Oct 10, 2004: Aerostar SP-1 (N87SB), Albuquerque, NM, destroyed. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to maintain clearance with the radio tower. Contributing factors were the pilot's improper compensation for the variable wind conditions.

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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