# Accident 20150412006269A: Head Balloons AX8-105, Gordonville, PA, April 12, 2015

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 12, 2015, 18:30 local time
- Place: Gordonville, PA
- Airport: N/A
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Other, Specify
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.1200° N, 76.2900° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.1200&lon=-76.2900&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3099F, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N3099F-2019-09-06) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Head Balloons AX8-105 (registry code 4280300, https://openairdocs.org/model/head-balloons-ax8-105) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: HEAD BALLOONS AX8-105
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 3
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 494 total, 442 in this make and model, 3 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB GAA15CA075](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA15CA075) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20150412006269A

## Narrative

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

ACCIDENT OCCURRED AT 3370 HARVEST DRIVE, GORDONVILLE, PA 17534 (HARVEST DRIVE FAMILY INN AND RESTAURANT).

PICTURES AND VIDEOS FROM SPECTATORS ON THE GROUND AND PASSENGERS IN THE BALLOON SHOW THE LAUNCH SITE WAS APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET FROM A WOODEN FENCE. VIDEOS INDICATE WINDY AND GUSTY CONDITIONS. IT APPEARS THAT A SAFETY LINE BROKE WHICH STARTED THE LAUNCH.

THE BALLOON HIT THE FENCE AND WENT OVER IT, THEN DRIFTED INTO A TWO STORY BUILDING. THE BASKET WAS LIFTED UP THE SIDE OF THE BUILDING TO THE AWNING BEFORE DROPPING TO THE GROUND.

MINOR INJURIES REPORTED BY THE PASSENGERS, AND MINOR DAMAGE OCCURED TO THE BUILDING. MAJOR DAMAGE WAS SUSTAINED TO THE BALLOON ENVELOPE WHICH WAS TORN. THE PIC REPORTED THAT 12 PERCENT OF THE PANELS NEED REPLACED.

## 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 GAA15CA075](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA15CA075), Apr 12, 2015: Head Balloons AX8 105 - NO Series (N3099F), Intercourse, PA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain/location for takeoff in gusting wind conditions, resulting in a collision with a building, and substantial damage to the hot air balloon.

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.