- Date
- June 20, 2003, 20:40 local (Jun 21, 2003, 01:40 UTC)
- Place
- Monroe, WI
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5253YAerostar S-55A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report November 25, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Milwuakee FSDO
- FAA report
- 20030620027069A
- Case key
- 57286
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 pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the transmission wires during landing and his decision to jump from the balloon. A factor to the accident was the power transmission lines.
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 pilot received serious injuries when he exited his balloon while attempting to land. The pilot stated that as he made his approach he saw he was below power transmission lines. According to the pilot he made an attempt to go over the lines but was unable to, at which time the pilot decided to exit the balloon. The pilot reported that he jumped from the basket at approximately 8 to 10 feet above the ground. The pilot stated that upon landing he broke his ankle.
Factual narrative
On June 20, 2003, at 2040 central daylight time, an Aerostar S-55A balloon, N5253Y, piloted by a commercial pilot, impacted wires while attempting to land near Monroe, Wisconsin. The pilot reportedly jumped from an altitude of about 10 feet above the ground level prior to the balloon impacting the wires. The pilot sustained serious injuries. The balloon subsequently landed in an adjacent field and was undamaged. The flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The balloon departed Monroe, Wisconsin at 1900.
The pilot reported participating in a hot air balloon competition at the time of the accident. According to his statement he had landed previously, however, the ground crew was not able to obtain permission from the landowner to retrieve the balloon. The pilot decided to continue the flight and flew to the next available site, the parking lot of a local business. The pilot reported that as he made his approach he saw he was below power transmission lines. The pilot stated he made one "quick burn," but was unsuccessful in clearing the lines. According to the pilot he decided to allow the balloon to continue on it's descent track, and exit the balloon when it was closest to the ground. The pilot stated that he exited the basket approximately 8 to 10 feet above the ground, breaking his ankle upon landing.
The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures prior to the accident. A post-accident examination revealed no damage to the balloon.
The weather reported at Monroe Municipal Airport at 2034 was: wind calm; visibility 10 statute miles and clear.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5253Y
- Reported as
- Aerostar S-55A
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- S55A-3082
- Airframe hours
- 207
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Air race/show · Part 91
- Operator
- Richard D. Newman
- Registered owner
- The Manuel Company
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 12, 2003 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- Monroe, WI
- Destination
- Monroe, WI
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
- 50
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Last flight review
- November 10, 2001
- Flight hours
- 441 total · 315 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 0° at 0 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- KEFT, 4 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.