- Date
- July 16, 1989, 08:58 local (13:58 UTC)
- Place
- Houston, TX
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N85DPPiccard AX-6
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 22, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890716022389A
- Case key
- 22781
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 pilot's failure to abort the attempt to clear the obstacle. Factors in the accident were: the poor condition of the balloon envelope and the pilot's lack of experience as pilot in command of balloon operations.
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 balloon failed to establish a climb and clear a set of power lines despite the fact that, according to witnesses, the pilot actuated the burner repeatedly. When it struck power lines, a tank exploded, and the basket was released and consumed by fire. Investigation revealed that the deflation system had not been activated prior to the wire strike. Also, the envelope was in poor repair, which decreased its effficiency. The private balloon pilot had accumulated a total of 9 hours as PIC out of a total of 24.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N85DP
- Reported as
- Piccard AX-6
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 732
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Mary Murtorff
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 23, 1988
- Departed
- NONE · Houston, TX
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
- 58
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 24 total · 24 in this make and model · 9 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 3 knots, gusting 7
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.