- Date
- July 9, 1987, 08:42 local (12:42 UTC)
- Place
- Crestwood, KY
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2897HAerostar RX-7
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 29, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870709037459A
- Case key
- 7480
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 balloon contacted power lines as it was beginning to climb after an aborted ldg attempt. Electrical arcing ignited the propane fuel supply on board. The sole-occupant student plt jumped from the burning balloon and fell approx 40 ft onto a fence. The student plt later reported that she didn't see the power line until just before contact. The student plt's instructor was on the ground nearby at the time. He reported that he didn't warn the student of the wires because he thought she saw them and was going to clear them. This was the student's second supervised solo flt. She had approx 1 hr total PIC time.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2897H
- Reported as
- Aerostar RX-7
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- RX7-3069
- Airframe hours
- 40
- Engine
- unknown UNK, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Stuart Crawford
- 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
- 32
- Certificate
- Student
- Flight hours
- 14 total · 14 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 4 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.