20150810021909I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cameron Balloons A-315 · Oakville, CA · August 10, 2015

Date
August 10, 2015 · 08:52 local
Place
Oakville, CA
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N1259Z
Reported as
Cameron Balloons A-315
Reported engine
NONE NONE
People aboard
17
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
2
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
1,180 total814 in this make and model66 in the last 90 days

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.

On 08-10-15 the pilot of N1259Z departed form the launch site and once airborne the wind shifted from southwest to the northeast. Along the route of flight the pilot attempted to make two landings before the final attempt. Prior to landing the pilot decided that there was no way to clear the trees that were in the flight path of the balloon. The pilot saw a landing spot that the pilot thought would work and attempted to land. Which was on a vineyard in Oakville California. When the pilot touchdown the balloon hit a trellis and flipped over causing damage to the trellis and some vines. There were two minor injuries reported but both denied medical attention.

As the FAA filed it

ON 08-10-15 THE PILOT OF N1259Z DEPARTED FORM THE LAUNCH SITE AND ONCE AIRBORNE THE WIND SHIFTED FROM SOUTHWEST TO THE NORTHEAST. ALONG THE ROUTE OF FLIGHT THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO MAKE TWO LANDINGS BEFORE THE FINAL ATTEMPT. PRIOR TO LANDING THE PILOT DECIDED THAT THERE WAS NO WAY TO CLEAR THE TREES THAT WERE IN THE FLIGHT PATH OF THE BALLOON. THE PILOT SAW A LANDING SPOT THAT THE PILOT THOUGHT WOULD WORK AND ATTEMPTED TO LAND. WHICH WAS ON A VINEYARD IN OAKVILLE CALIFORNIA. WHEN THE PILOT TOUCHDOWN THE BALLOON HIT A TRELLIS AND FLIPPED OVER CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE TRELLIS AND SOME VINES. THERE WERE TWO MINOR INJURIES REPORTED BUT BOTH DENIED MEDICAL ATTENTION.