# Accident 20071008828069A: Raven S66A, Albuquerque, NM, October 8, 2007

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 8, 2007, 07:42 local time
- Place: Albuquerque, NM
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Final Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.1319° N, 106.6175° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.1319&lon=-106.6175&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7179Z, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N7179Z-2017-02-28) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Aerostar International S-66A (registry code 7486066, https://openairdocs.org/model/aerostar-international-s-66a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: RAVEN S66A
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 0 total, 0 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN08LA004](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN08LA004) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20071008828069A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON OCTOBER 8, 2007, AT APPROXIMATELY 0742 MDT, AN  AEROSTAR S-66A, N7179Z, PILOTED BY A COMMERCIAL PILOT, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT STRUCK THE TOP WIRE OF A 3-PHASE POWERLINE. THE WIRE CUT THROUGH THE WICKER GONDOLA AND BECAME ENTANGLED WITH THE HANDLE ON ONE OF THE FUEL TANKS. THE PILOT LOWERED A DROP LINE TO GROUND PERSONNEL WHO ATTEMPTED UNSUCCESSFULLY TO FREE THE BALLOON. THEY THEN ATTACHED IT TO THE HITCH OF A PICKUP TRUCK. THE COMBINED FORCE OF THE TRUCK AND BALLOON LIFT, PULLED THE FUEL TANK THROUGH THE WICKER GONDOLA CREATING A LARGE HOLE. NOW FREE FROM THE WIRE, THE BALLOON ASCENDED ABRUPTLY BREAKING THE DROP LINE AT WHICH TIME ONE FEMALE PASSENGER WENT OUT THROUGH THE HOLE IN THE BASKET TO HER DEATH. THE PILOT LOOKED UP INTO THE ENVELOPE OF THE BALLOON AND NOTICED THAT THE "DEFLATION PORT" HAD PARTIALLY OPENED UP. SINCE THE "DEFLATION PORT" CANNOT BE CLOSED ONCE AIRBORNE, THE PILOT OPERATED THE BURNER ALMOST CONTINUOUSLY TRYING TO CONTROL THE DESCENT. THE BALLOON MADE A HARD LANDING CAUSING SERIOUS INJURIES TO TWO MORE PASSENGERS.

## 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 DEN08LA004](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN08LA004), Oct 8, 2007: Aerostar S-66A (N7179Z), Albuquerque, NM, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate visual lookout and clearance resulting in an in-flight collision with power lines, and the ground crew's improper assistance. Contributing to this accident…

## Other reports on N7179Z (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 20030517009649A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030517009649A), May 17, 2003: Raven S66A (N7179Z), Albuquerque, NM. (-23) On may 17, 2003, at 0800 MDT, a Aerostar international, S-66A, N7179Z, registered to skyspan adventures LLC, landed hard with a basket tip-over when the…

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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