CHI94FA209

The commercial free balloon pilot and two passengers were participating in a balloon race. The pilot had selected a field in which to land, and his chase crew was positioned in the field watching his approach. The pilot did not add heat as he crossed the final treeline. As the balloon crossed the treeline and road which bordered the upwind edge of the landing field, the gondola, support cables, and bottom of the envelope contacted powerlines and the propane tanks ignited. The three occupants fell 30 feet to the ground, sustaining impact injuries. The empty balloon reascended, and finally came to rest 5 miles downwind of the powerline impact.

History of flight

On June 25, 1994, at 0715 central daylight time, a Cameron Balloons CAN-56 free balloon, N20367, owned and operated by Mr. David L. James of Larwill, Indiana, contacted powerlines during approach to an open field in West Chicago, Illinois. The balloon caught fire and was destroyed. The commercial certificated free balloon pilot and two passengers sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the time of the accident. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 as part of the Geneva, Illinois, Swedish Day Balloon Festival. The flight departed from an open field in Geneva, Illinois, at 0602 along with 20 other free balloons.

The event was a "Hare and Hound" race, and the lead balloon had dropped a target at a golf course, 1/2 mile south of the Dupage Airport. The accident balloon passed north of this site, and the pilot remarked to his passengers that "we aren't in the competition." They then continued beyond the airport after crossing one of the runways south of the Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT), and began to look for a landing site.

After passing Dupage Airport, the pilot disconnected the main fuel line to one burner from the #1 tank (right front position) and reconnected it to the #3 tank (right aft position). The pilot stated he made this tank change when the tank gauge indicated 10% fuel. He stated that he left reserve fuel in the tank to ensure he would have some available if he needed it later. After this tank switch, all occupants described 1 more burn of the blast valves to initiate an ascent. No line changes were made to the left burner or #2 tank (aft left position).

According to the festival coordinator, once a tank gets down to 40% fuel level, longer burns are required to produce an equivalent amount of heating compared to short burns at higher fuel levels. He stated that this is due to reduced fuel pressure within the tanks.

A low pass was made in a residential area, and the pilot remarked to the passengers that he would land there if alone, but not with passengers. Another ascent was described, and then the target landing field was sighted. The balloon ground crew was in the field, and had established communications with the pilot on a handheld radio.

A low pass was made over another crop field, the pilot stated he did not want to land there due to crop damage and recovery difficulty. Another burn was initiated to clear trees beyond this field, which bordered the target landing field where his ground crew was now stationed. The pilot described clearing the trees by 30 or 40 feet. None of the occupants described any further burning of the blast valve after the ascent to clear these trees. The pilot and 1 passenger stated they had seen the power poles near the landing field earlier. The pilot described the balloon beginniung to descend as they crossed the trees. As the road was crossed the balloon contacted the powerlines.

All three occupants described the flight as uneventful until contact was made with the powerlines. The passengers stated that they felt electricity pass through their bodies and then jumped or fell from the gondola. One passenger stated he consciously climbed out of the gondola, and when he jumped, his watch got stuck on the basket. He hung on the outside until his watch broke, then fell to the ground. He described the fire as coming up from below the basket and burning his legs. Both passengers sustained spinal and leg injuries and the pilot-in-command sustained head and arm injuries.

The balloon reascended and travelled downwind another 5 miles, coming to rest in trees alongside a highway. The basket was consumed by fire, two of the three fuel tanks exploded and detached from the balloon. The third fuel tank was recovered intact along with the balloon envelope.

Personnel information

The pilot was a commercially certificated free balloon pilot with no other aeronautical ratings. He had been a crewmember on balloons since the mid-1980's, and began to pilot balloons in September of 1993. He had accumulated 65 hours of flight time in free balloons, all in the accident balloon.

The Balloon Festival Organization Manual, Section III, specified that:

"Only crewmembers may be carried on board an aircraft operating under the Certificate of Waiver. All crewmembers must be designated by the Pilot-in-Command and have been given appropriate training in the conduct of their duties. These designated crewmembers must sign a statement that they have been trained in balloon operations, and that they understand the limitations of the waiver under which they are operating, and that they are designated crewmembers for the purpose of the specific flights."

The 2 non-pilot occupants were on board in a crew capacity. They both signed a required "Crewmember Statement" which designated them with specific functions.

Neither non-pilot occupant had previous balloon experience. According to the pilot, the duties assigned to qualify them as crewmembers were for one to be the lookout for power lines, and the other to be the lookout for towers. The pilot stated that he gave the other occupants a brief on duties prior to departure. One of the other occupants stated he had received a safety/duty brief, but it was treated as a formality, not taken seriously, and "made light of."

Both passengers wore prescription glasses, and had them on during the flight. The pilot did not wear glasses. The pilot did not have, nor was he required to have, a current FAA medical exam.

Aircraft information

The balloon was Cameron CAN-56, special shape balloon (Coffee Can). The pilot described a total volume of 90,000 cubic feet, and a heated volume of 70,000 cubic feet. The Pilot Operating Handbook described a heated volume of 77,000 cubic feet. CAN-56 blueprints specify an effective volume of 77,000 cubic feet. Cameron marketing technical data specifications described the CAN-56 as a 12 gore, 56,000 cubic foot envelope. The balloon was configured with 2 rotation vents, in addition to a control and "rip" vent. The envelope had 12 primary vertical support cables, which attached in clusters of 3 at each corner of the basket/burner frame.

The balloon was equipped with a MK-IV Double Burner, and 3 ten gallon Worthington aluminum propane fuel tanks (1 master and 2 standard). The liquid fuel fittings were threaded fittings, and the vapor lines had quick disconnect fittings at the tanks. Each tank was provided with an overpressure relief valve. Each burner was equipped with a vapor pilot light and a main liquid fuel line, separated by a crossfeed valve. The burners could be operated individually or in tandem.

The gondola was a Cameron 42" x 58" "Aristocrat" semi-rigid basket. The gondola was supported by 4 primary support cables, 2 per side, which attached to the envelope support cables via carabiners at the burner corner plate. The basket support cables each had a slip prevention fitting swaged to it in the gondola floor. The gondola itself was a wicker weave vegetable material.

The burner support frame rested on 4 semirigid support tubes which mounted to the gondola corners. These provided rigidity, but were not weight bearing structure. All structural support from the envelope was borne by the cables.

All support cables (envelope and gondola) were steel.

Communications

The pilot maintained radio contact with his ground crew on a handheld radio. The passengers remarked that there were discussions between the pilot and his crew concerning landing sites.

Wreckage and impact information

The double burners were recovered with the envelope. Both fuel valves were open (valves in the in-line position) and the crossfeed valve was closed. Both blast valve handles were in the closed position. The Double Burner assembly was recovered, and both pilot light valves were in the ON position.

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