- Date
- September 5, 1987, 08:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Colorado Spring, CO
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N32201National Balloon 858
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 7, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870905080299A
- Case key
- 17305
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Analysis
The commercial balloon plt was competing in a balloon race. While landing, with the basket on the ground, the balloon drifted into power lines. A large hole was burned in the envelope, and the basket was damaged. The plt and two passengers jumped from the basket just prior to wire contact and were not injured.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N32201
- Reported as
- National Balloon 858
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 111
- Airframe hours
- 112
- Engine
- Unknown UNKNOWN, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Robert H. Petzinger
- Registered owner
- Robert H Petzinger
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 1987 · 1 hours before
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
- 42
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Flight hours
- 230 total · 230 in this make and model · 210 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 135° at 5 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.