- Date
- October 14, 1989, 08:45 local (14:45 UTC)
- Place
- Albuquerque, NM
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- GGWIZThunder and Colt Clown
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 10, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 17858
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
The NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
Structural failure of the balloon envelope as a result of the manufacturer's quality control oversight.
Analysis
The plt was operating his hot air balloon in a balloon fiesta with 3 passengers (pax). The balloon was shaped like a 138 ft tall, standing clown, with the right arm raised to head level. The arm is designed to wave when the plt pulled a control line. The plt said that during the ascent, at 20 ft AGL, the balloon envelope began to tear. He said the rip continued until it was 47 ft long, vertically. A witness said that the loss of hot air resulted in a gentle uncontrolled descent, and the balloon landed without further damage or injury. A post-acdnt inspection revealed that during the first arm control inputs, the kelvar control line pulled loose from an attached 'd' ring, tore a grommet loose & sawed the fabric. Rprtdly, there were no load tapes installed in the area of the arm/torso juncture.
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
- GGWIZ
- Reported as
- Thunder and Colt Clown
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 1369
- Airframe hours
- 15
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Francis G. Prell
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · May 12, 1989 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- NONE
- Destination
- NONE
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 48
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Flight hours
- 650 total · 15 in this make and model · 16 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ABQ, 10 nm away