- Date
- February 14, 1989, 10:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Telluride, CO
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7127JBalloon Works AX8-24
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 31, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890214021249A
- Case key
- 17673
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
Ice forming in the fuel tank shut off valve, and the burner blast valve resulting in a loss of control during landing.
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 plt and two friends were flying his balloon in mountainous terrain. During the approach to land, the plt opened the burner valve to flare. The valve stuck open and the plt attempted to shut off fuel at the propane bottle. That valve stuck open also, and the balloon started to rise. The plt reduced the heat entering the envelope by pulling the burner out of the throat and pointing it overboard. This balloon was equipped with an emergency 'back up' burner system. By using the back up burner, the plt maneuvered and landed in a wooded area. The plt said that after landing, he was able to work the stuck valves until they closed and the fuel flow ceased. A post accident investigation revealed that conditions existed conducive to ice forming in both valves and preventing normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7127J
- Reported as
- Balloon Works AX8-24
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- F8-113
- Airframe hours
- 14
- Engine
- Unknown UNKNOWN, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Gary W. Woods
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 1988 · 14 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
- 45
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Flight hours
- 453 total · 14 in this make and model · 441 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 30 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.