- Date
- September 14, 1986, 18:50 local (22:50 UTC)
- Place
- Roanoke, VA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7423HBalloon Works FF-7
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860914074039A
- Case key
- 11257
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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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 hot air balloon was involved in an air show flight event. While enroute to the airport the plt stated that he encountered winds that forced him to land short of the arpt. During the lndg apch he became distracted by spectators on the ground who were in his flight path and as a result did not see power lines in time to avoid a collision. The collision occurred between the power lines and the balloon suspension cables. The cables were severed and the basket separated from the balloon and then descended to the ground from a height of about 20 feet.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7423H
- Reported as
- Balloon Works FF-7
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- F7-338
- Airframe hours
- 28
- Engine
- none T3-017, unknown
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Richard M. Davis
- Registered owner
- Boddie Noels Enterprise
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 9, 1986 · 28 hours before
- Destination
- ROA · Roanoke, VA
- Airport
- ROA · Roanoke Regal
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
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 760 total · 568 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ROA
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.