- Date
- September 2, 1985, 08:10 local (13:10 UTC)
- Place
- Blaine, MN
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N4196NRaven AX-9
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850902047329A
- Case key
- 13206
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 one hour balloon sightseeing flight was uneventful. During his approach to land in a clear area he decided that his forward velocity was too high to land without hitting houses or powerlines below the balloon. According to him he burned fuel to attempt a level off but didn't burn enough fuel to arrest his descent completely. The balloon struck a maple tree and the gondola momentarily became caught on a branch. The branch gave way and the gondola fell to the ground hard enough to seriously injure two of the seven balloon occupants.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4196N
- Reported as
- Raven AX-9
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 566A-137
- Airframe hours
- 49
- Engine
- None NONE, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Wiederkehr Balloons Int'L
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 1, 1984 · 19 hours before
- Departed
- Lakeland, MN
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
- 35
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Flight hours
- 116 total · 6 in this make and model · 83 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 57 °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.
Other investigations on N4196N · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.