- Date
- July 8, 1989, 07:20 local (13:20 UTC)
- Place
- Albuquerque, NM
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4069HRaven RX-7
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 24, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890708020919A
- Case key
- 17739
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
Inadequate visual lookout by the pilot. Contributing to the accident were the power lines.
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 private plt and a pax were taking part in an organized balloon fiesta near albequerque, new Mexico. The plt said that he failed to see four power lines across the landing area, in time to avoid them. He said the power lines struck the envelope above the burner and damaged the envelope and basket beyond repair.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4069H
- Reported as
- Raven RX-7
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- RX7-316
- Engine
- Unknown UNKNOWN, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Departed
- NONE · Albuquerqu, NM
- Destination
- NONE
- Airport
- 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
- 27
- Certificate
- Private
- Flight hours
- 151 total · 137 in this make and model · 124 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ABQ, 10 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.