- Date
- October 18, 1991, 18:20 local (23:20 UTC)
- Place
- Warsaw, IN
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 3 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N357OKAerostar RX-8
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 15340
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
Pilot's delayed inflight planning/decision to land.
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
A commercial pilot began a balloon flight in late afternoon and attempted landing at sunset. Two attempted landings were unsuccessful when the chase crew could not catch the ground lines in the wind drift. The balloon remained airborne after dark. The pilot stated he could not read instruments nor make out obstacles for landing for lack of available light. He later found a field, made a rapid descent and landed hard.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N357OK
- Reported as
- Aerostar RX-8
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- RX8-3049
- Airframe hours
- 105
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Henry J. & Marcille Cripe
- Registered owner
- Henry J. & Marcille Cripe
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 1, 1991 · 47 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Waterford, IN
- Airport
- ASW · Warsaw Muni
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 63
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Flight hours
- 110 total · 110 in this make and model · 85 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 340° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SBN, 34 nm away