- Date
- August 12, 1995, 07:26 local (12:26 UTC)
- Place
- Houston, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1384EGeneral Balloon Newport AX8
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 27, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950812023959A
- Case key
- 19533
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 loss of lift and subsequent hard landing as result of the disengagement of a velcro strip at the top of the balloon's envelope.
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 lost lift while in level flight at 500 feet AGL when a velcro strip separated allowing the top of the balloon's envelope to release the hot air. The pilot heard the sound of the separating velcro and alerted the two passengers that the balloon was going down as he immediately began to add heat to the envelope to arrest the rate of descent. The balloon landed hard in an open field, resulting in substantial damage to the balloon, serious injuries to one of the passengers, and minor injuries to the commercial pilot and another passenger.
Factual narrative
On August 12, 1995, at 0726 central daylight time, a General Balloon Corp., Newport AX8, N1384E, sustained substantial damage during a hard landing near Houston, Texas. The commercial pilot and one passenger sustained minor injuries, while another passenger was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the paid passenger flight. A complete weather briefing was received prior to the local flight.
Following a preflight inspection and a normal inflation, the balloon ascended normally to 500 feet AGL. The pilot stated that at approximately 10 minutes after takeoff, he heard the sound of Velcro separating on one of the panels on the balloon's envelope.
The pilot further stated that he alerted his two passengers that the balloon "was going down" as he immediately began to add heat to the envelope to control the rate of descent.
The pilot added that the balloon landed hard without rebound in the middle of an open field, approximately a quarter of a mile from the point of takeoff. Witnesses near the accident site observed the balloon making a rapid descent and landing hard in an open field.
The Velcro strip that separated in flight had been inspected and tested during the last annual inspection, approximately 7 flight hours prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1384E
- Reported as
- General Balloon Newport AX8 (NEWPORT AX)
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 8007
- Airframe hours
- 66
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William Murtorff
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 21, 1995 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · 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
- 43
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Unknown
- Flight hours
- 632 total · 5 in this make and model · 600 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SGR, 20 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.