- Date
- February 22, 2003, 08:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Reno, NV
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N6413NAerostar RX-7
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 1, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20030222002109A
- Case key
- 56530
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
A sudden wind shift that forced the balloon to drift towards an obstruction, and the pilot's inability to perform an evasive maneuver in sufficient time to prevent a collision.
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 collided with power lines while descending toward a landing spot. The pilot was crossing a north-south ridgeline while approaching a landing spot in a meadow. The balloon flew over the descending slope and cleared a set of power lines that ran parallel to the ridgeline. A sudden wind shift occurred, blowing the balloon back towards the power lines. The pilot turned on the burner in an attempt to clear the power lines again, however, sufficient lift was not achieved. Realizing that a collision was inevitable, the burner and tanks were shut off and instruments disconnected. After the initial impact the balloon continued rising, and the pilot pulled the 'rip-cord' attached to the deflation port. A rapid decent followed, and the balloon came to rest directly under the power lines.
Factual narrative
On February 22, 2003, at 0800 Pacific standard time, an Aerostar RX-7 balloon, N6413N, collided with power lines while maneuvering to land in a meadow northwest of Reno, Nevada. The balloon was owned and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot and two passengers were not injured; the balloon sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local area flight that departed from a nearby field at 0715. No flight plan had been filed.
The pilot stated that he was crossing a north-south ridgeline while approaching a landing spot in a meadow. The balloon flew over the descending slope and cleared a set of power lines that ran parallel to the ridgeline. A sudden wind shift occurred, blowing the balloon back towards the power lines. The pilot turned on the burner in an attempt to clear the power lines again, however, sufficient lift was not achieved. Realizing that a collision was inevitable, the burner and tanks were shut off and instruments disconnected. After the initial impact the balloon continued rising, and the pilot pulled the 'rip-cord' attached to the deflation port. A rapid decent followed, and the balloon came to rest directly under the power lines.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6413N
- Reported as
- Aerostar RX-7
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- RX7-3039
- Airframe hours
- 355
- Engine
- Aero Engines HP25-3029
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Jeffrey D. Haliczer
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 10, 2002 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- Reno, NV
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
- 47
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Last flight review
- October 24, 2002
- Flight hours
- 83 total · 7 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 30 °F, dew point -29 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- KRNO, 11 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.