- Date
- September 4, 1988, 08:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Las Cruces, NM
- Injuries
- 3 minor, 2 uninjured; on the ground: 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N90EHThunder and Colt AX8-90
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 11, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880904039659A
- Case key
- 17539
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 commercial balloon plt was participating in a balloon rally. During landing, the plt noticed the balloon was drifting toward power lines. He elected to open the deflation valve at 30 ft AGL, to attempt to land short of the lines. The balloon touched down 50 ft from the lines and continued to be dragged toward them. The basket came to rest 30 ft from the lines, and as the passengers departed the basket, the envelope came in contact with the power lines. The pyrometer cable carried current down to the basket injuring one passenger and the ground crewman.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N90EH
- Reported as
- Thunder and Colt AX8-90
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 690
- Airframe hours
- 187
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James G. Curran
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 26, 1988 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- NONE
- Destination
- NONE
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
- 53
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Flight hours
- 548 total · 5 in this make and model · 540 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 4 knots, gusting 7
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.