- Date
- January 21, 2007, 08:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- San Martin, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2447ZGeneral Balloon AX-6
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20070121002239A
- Case key
- 65359
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 maintain adequate altitude/clearance from power lines.
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 hot air balloon collided with power lines during cruise flight. The pilot stated while en route to his destination he was unable to arrest a descent and the wind blew the balloon into the power lines. The skirts and suspension cables were scorched as a result of the contact. He applied sufficient heat in the balloon's envelope and the balloon ascended to about 300 feet above ground level (agl). Shortly thereafter, he performed a landing in an open filed without mishap. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the balloon prior to impact.
Factual narrative
The hot air balloon collided with power lines. The pilot stated while en route to his destination he was unable to arrest a descent, as the balloon's burner performance was less then he had expected. The wind blew the balloon into the power lines. The skirts and suspension cables were scorched as a result of the contact. The pilot applied sufficient heat in the balloon's envelope and the balloon ascended to about 300 feet above ground level (agl). Shortly thereafter, he performed a landing in an open filed without mishap. The pilot estimated the winds were between 5 and 6 knots.
The pilot reported that he had amassed a total of 983.3 hours in lighter than air aircraft, of which 28.5 hours were in the same make and model as the accident balloon. He reported that at the time of the accident the temperature was about 40 degrees Fahrenheit. He opined that the cold temperature resulted in a decrease in burner performance due to the fuel cooling and less pressure flowing through the burner unit. The tanks on the accident balloon were not equipped with heating elements, although they are on the type certificate. He thought the accident could have been prevented if he had tank heater to warm the burners, or had Supplemental Type Certificated upgraded burner system.
The pilot additionally reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the balloon prior to impact.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2447Z
- Reported as
- General Balloon AX-6
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 447
- Engine
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Morgan Hill, CA
- Destination
- San Martin, CA
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
- 61
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Flight hours
- 983 total · 29 in this make and model · 958 in the last 90 days · 158 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 6 knots, gusting 8
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 39 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.