# Accident 20050518009659A: Arostr S53A, Shreveport, LA, May 18, 2005

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 18, 2005, 19:10 local time
- Place: Shreveport, LA
- Airport: Shreveport Regional
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 32.4464° N, 93.8256° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.4464&lon=-93.8256&mi=10
- Aircraft: N699WH, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N699WH) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Aerostar International S53A (registry code 7487906, https://openairdocs.org/model/aerostar-international-s53a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AROSTR S53A
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 300 total, 730 in this make and model, 15 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DFW05LA125](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DFW05LA125) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050518009659A

## Narrative

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

(-23) BALLOON WITH PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER STRUCK AND BECAME ENTANGLED IN PWERLINE. BALLOON BASKET BECAME ENGULFED IN FLAMES DUE TO ARCING FROM POWERLINES. PILOT EITHER FELL OR WAS EJECTED FROM BASKET AFTER STRIKING LINES. BALLOON BASKET WAS FREED FROM POWERLINES AND CONTINUED TO BURN. BALLOON RAPIDLY CLIMBED TO ALTITUDE ABOVE 1,000 FEET DUE TO SUPERHEATED GASES FROM FIRE. BASKET STRUCTURE COLLAPSED, CAUSING PASSENGER TO FALL. THE ENVELOPE CONTINUED TO DRIFT, MINUS THE BASKET, FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES, EVENTUALLY COMING TO REST IN PARKING LOT OF MALL.

## 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 DFW05LA125](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DFW05LA125), May 19, 2005: Aerostar International S53A (N699WH), Shreveport, LA, substantial damage, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from electrical power lines.

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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