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20041013026259I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Avianw SKYHAWK · Spokane, WA · October 13, 2004

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
October 13, 2004
Place
Spokane, WA
Phase of flight
Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N5037G
Reported as
Avianw Skyhawk
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Student
Pilot’s flight hours
14 total14 in this make and model
N5037GRegistered now · Avian Balloon SKYHAWKS/N 183 · Built 1994Airframe modelAvian Balloon SKYHAWKEngine 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) The student pilot was taking a private pilot practical flight test with an FAA inspector. After takeoff the winds were not as forecast and the balloon drifted over a forested area with limited suitable landing sites. The student pilot made one satisfactory touch and go and then continued drifting over the forested area. Upon locating a second area suitable for landing the student pilot made what appeared to be a normal approach to the edge of a field however the touchdown was hard and the mouth of the envelope hit the ground and the basket bounced. The student pilot was burning on short final and failed to remove his hand from the burner control when the balloon touched down. This caused him to inadvertently activate the burner control as the envelope leaned over causing the fabric near the mouth of the envelope to be burned. The additional heat applied inside the envelope caused the balloon to become airborne again. Some melted fabric from the envelope fell onto the arm of the student pilot and he transferred the controls to the FAA inspector. The inspector flew the balloon to a landing in a nearby field without further incident. Inspection of the balloon indicated minor damage.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE STUDENT PILOT WAS TAKING A PRIVATE PILOT PRACTICAL FLIGHT TEST WITH AN FAA INSPECTOR. AFTER TAKEOFF THE WINDS WERE NOT AS FORECAST AND THE BALLOON DRIFTED OVER A FORESTED AREA WITH LIMITED SUITABLE LANDING SITES. THE STUDENT PILOT MADE ONE SATISFACTORY TOUCH AND GO AND THEN CONTINUED DRIFTING OVER THE FORESTED AREA. UPON LOCATING A SECOND AREA SUITABLE FOR LANDING THE STUDENT PILOT MADE WHAT APPEARED TO BE A NORMAL APPROACH TO THE EDGE OF A FIELD HOWEVER THE TOUCHDOWN WAS HARD AND THE MOUTH OF THE ENVELOPE HIT THE GROUND AND THE BASKET BOUNCED. THE STUDENT PILOT WAS BURNING ON SHORT FINAL AND FAILED TO REMOVE HIS HAND FROM THE BURNER CONTROL WHEN THE BALLOON TOUCHED DOWN. THIS CAUSED HIM TO INADVERTENTLY ACTIVATE THE BURNER CONTROL AS THE ENVELOPE LEANED OVER CAUSING THE FABRIC NEAR THE MOUTH OF THE ENVELOPE TO BE BURNED. THE ADDITIONAL HEAT APPLIED INSIDE THE ENVELOPE CAUSED THE BALLOON TO BECOME AIRBORNE AGAIN. SOME MELTED FABRIC FROM THE ENVELOPE FELL ONTO THE ARM OF THE STUDENT PILOT AND HE TRANSFERRED THE CONTROLS TO THE FAA INSPECTOR. THE INSPECTOR FLEW THE BALLOON TO A LANDING IN A NEARBY FIELD WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. INSPECTION OF THE BALLOON INDICATED MINOR DAMAGE.