- Date
- August 13, 1983, 07:35 local (11:35 UTC)
- Place
- Louisvile, KY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N16JFPiccard AX-6
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830813040459A
- Case key
- 6167
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The plt received a wx briefing at 0600 EDT & noted nothing significant that would be a hazard to flt. He proceeded to long run park, aprx 20 mi east of louisville, KY, to launch the ballon. There was a 654 foot tower in the vicinity, but the plt believed the northerly, 5 kt wind would carry the balloon well clear. He stated that after lift-off, the balloon began proceeding on a parallel course, well clear of the tower. It then encountered a sudden wind-shift & began drifting toward the tower with increasing speed. The plt elected to climb to avoid the tower. Both blast valves were opened to climb as rapidly as possible & a climb rate of 900 to 1000 ft. min was obtained. However, the wind speed continued to increase. After realizing that avoidance was no longer possible, he shut off the blast valves & prepared for a collision. The balloon struck the tower aprx 20 ft from the top, the plt climbed onto the tower staircase & descended on foot. The balloon was extensively damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N16JF
- Reported as
- Piccard AX-6
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 736
- Airframe hours
- 322
- Engine
- Lycoming, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- John H. Freeman
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 15, 1983 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- Louisville, KY
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 42
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Unknown
- Flight hours
- 890 total · 542 in this make and model · 767 as pilot in command · 37 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LOU, 360 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.