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20090707012139I

Incident · No damage
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FAA incident report · Lindst 120A · Louisville, KY · July 7, 2009

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
July 7, 2009 · 20:17 local
Place
Louisville, KY
Phase of flight
Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N719JR
Reported as
Lindst 120A
People aboard
6
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
1,500 total70 in this make and model12 in the last 90 days
N719JRRegistered now · Arbc Inc DBA Lindstrand 120AS/N 5391 · Built 2008Airframe modelArbc Inc DBA Lindstrand 120AEngine 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) Airman was conducting commercial sight-seeing operations in a hot-air balloon. After passing over cross-country powerlines, pilot initiated approach to land in a large open field. At about 30 feet above the ground, pilot noted another power line traversing his flight path. Detection was delayed because the poles were obscured in trees on either side of the open field, about 1/4 mile apart., and were not readily apparent to the pilot or passengers. Pilot open blast valve to add heat to the envelope to climb above the power line, but there was not enough time to prevent collision. Upright corner pole of basket struck upper (ground) wire, breaking the wire. The balloon then climbed above the remaining wires and did not contact them. Ground wire fell onto the hot wires below, causing a short circuit with sparks and a brief fire. The pilot flew to the next open field ( about 1/2 mile) and made a normal landing and recovery. There was no injury to persons, no damage to the aircraft, no damage to property other than the power lines. The power lines were service lines to an abandoned house. The power company decided not to replace the damaged lines.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) AIRMAN WAS CONDUCTING COMMERCIAL SIGHT-SEEING OPERATIONS IN A HOT-AIR BALLOON. AFTER PASSING OVER CROSS-COUNTRY POWERLINES, PILOT INITIATED APPROACH TO LAND IN A LARGE OPEN FIELD. AT ABOUT 30 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, PILOT NOTED ANOTHER POWER LINE TRAVERSING HIS FLIGHT PATH. DETECTION WAS DELAYED BECAUSE THE POLES WERE OBSCURED IN TREES ON EITHER SIDE OF THE OPEN FIELD, ABOUT 1/4 MILE APART., AND WERE NOT READILY APPARENT TO THE PILOT OR PASSENGERS. PILOT OPEN BLAST VALVE TO ADD HEAT TO THE ENVELOPE TO CLIMB ABOVE THE POWER LINE, BUT THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH TIME TO PREVENT COLLISION. UPRIGHT CORNER POLE OF BASKET STRUCK UPPER (GROUND) WIRE, BREAKING THE WIRE. THE BALLOON THEN CLIMBED ABOVE THE REMAINING WIRES AND DID NOT CONTACT THEM. GROUND WIRE FELL ONTO THE HOT WIRES BELOW, CAUSING A SHORT CIRCUIT WITH SPARKS AND A BRIEF FIRE. THE PILOT FLEW TO THE NEXT OPEN FIELD ( ABOUT 1/2 MILE) AND MADE A NORMAL LANDING AND RECOVERY. THERE WAS NO INJURY TO PERSONS, NO DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT, NO DAMAGE TO PROPERTY OTHER THAN THE POWER LINES. THE POWER LINES WERE SERVICE LINES TO AN ABANDONED HOUSE. THE POWER COMPANY DECIDED NOT TO REPLACE THE DAMAGED LINES.