- Date
- August 22, 2025, 19:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- Walbridge, OH
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N591KYAir Fly Balonismo E Inflaveis AF-SS-94
- Defining event
- Approach: Miscellaneous/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 20, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250822013179A
- Case key
- 200882
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 balloon pilot’s failure to see and avoid powerlines during an off-field airport landing.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot of the hot air balloon planned for a local sightseeing flight that departed and returned to the same airport. During the flight, the pilot realized that the balloon would not be able to return to the airport as planned, so he selected a field for an off-airport landing. During the final portion of the landing approach, one of the passengers alerted the pilot to the presence of a previously unseen powerline. Due to the balloon’s close proximity to the ground and the powerline, the pilot elected to vent the envelope and allow it to drape over the power line rather than risk the parts of the balloon between the envelope and the basket contacting the powerline. After touchdown, the envelope and the upper portion of one (steel) riser cable contacted two wires. The pilot heard a pop and saw an arc, which ultimately resulted in substantial damage to the riser cable, a quick link connector, and the envelope. The pilot and passengers were not injured. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the balloon that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N591KY
- Reported as
- Air Fly Balonismo E Inflaveis AF-SS-94
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- LP2025-03
- Built
- 2025
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Balloon
- Last inspection
- Condition · May 1, 2025
- Departed
- TDZ · Toledo, OH
- Airport
- TDZ · Toledo Exec
- Equipment
- 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
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 13, 2025
- Seat
- None
- Restraint
- None
- Flight hours
- 11,000 total · 7 in this make and model · 9,500 as pilot in command · 81 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TOL, 15 nm away
- METAR
- KTOL 222352Z 31003KT 10SM SCT048 26/15 A3000 RMK AO2 SLP154 T02560150 10278 20250 56008 $
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 20, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.3 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.