# Accident 20081010852639A: Sproul 72KTET, Bernalillo, NM, October 10, 2008

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 10, 2008, 07:53 local time
- Place: Bernalillo, NM
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.3158° N, 106.5769° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.3158&lon=-106.5769&mi=10
- Aircraft: N72KX, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N72KX) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Sproul Keith A 72K-TET (registry code 05617N9, https://openairdocs.org/model/sproul-keith-a-72k-tet) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: SPROUL 72KTET
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 715 total, 83 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN09LA009](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN09LA009) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20081010852639A

## Narrative

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

ON OCTOBER 10, 2008 AT 0753 MDT AN EXPERIMENTAL AMATURE BUILT BALLOON, N72KX, WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE WHEN IT CAME IN CONTANCT WITH ELECTRICAL POWER LINES. THE PILOT SUSTAINED VERY SERIOUS INJURIES AND THE PASSENGER WAS FATALLY INJURED. WHEN THE GONDOLA OF THE BALLOON CAME INTO CONTACT WITH ELECTRICAL POWER LINES AT LEAST ONE PROPANE FUEL LINE WAS SEVERED. THE METAL FRAMEWORK OF THE GONDOLA CREATED AN ARC WITH THE POWER LINES. THE WICKER OF THE GONDOLA BECAME ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE PILOT AND THE PASSENGER FELL, JUMPED OR WERE EXPELLED FROM THE GONDOLA. AS THE WICKER OF THE GONDOLA BURNED AWAY, THE ENVELOPE AND THE REMAINING COMPONENTS OF THE GONDOLA SEPARATED FROM THE POWER LINES AND DRIFTED AWAY WITH THE WIND.

## 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 CEN09LA009](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN09LA009), Oct 10, 2008: Sproul 72K-TET (N72KX), Rio Rancho, NM, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the power lines and the failure of either pilot to take any corrective action to avoid the collision.

## Other reports on N72KX (1)

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

- [Accident 20071009022699A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20071009022699A), Oct 9, 2007: Sproul 72KTET (N72KX), Rio Rancho, NM, Minor damage. (-23) On October 9, 2007, at approximately 0830 local time, the pilot of N72KX, a Sproul model 72K-TET balloon, serial number S-003, made a hard landing near…

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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