- Date
- April 22, 1990, 19:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Lexington, KY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1512TBalloon Works 7B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 8, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900422012189A
- Case key
- 8235
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The overload failure of several jumper cords. Factor(s) were inadvertent encounter with unfavorable wind (dust devil). Subsequently, the pilot was unable to control the rate of descent.
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
N1512T became trapped in a dust devil at cruise flight while participating in a balloon rally in Lexington, Kentucky. The balloon started a 900 fpm twisting climb until it reached 4000 feet. At the top of the dust devil, the balloon started a rapid descent, which the pilot could not control. The burner assembly was damaged during the climb and would only produce partial power. The pilot's attempt to control the rate of descent failed. About 50 feet above the ground, the pilot closed off the burner pilot. The balloon crash landed between two homes. Examination disclosed several torn panels, broken jumper cords, a broken center cord, and several frayed center cords. Subsequent tensile tests proved that the cords were within specification and they failed in overload. Dust devil activity normally can not be forecasted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1512T
- Reported as
- Balloon Works 7B
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- F7B-033
- Engine
- Unknown UNKNOWN, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Sean R. Askren
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
- 24
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Flight hours
- 190 total · 190 in this make and model · 160 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.