- Date
- May 17, 1986, 08:45 local (15:45 UTC)
- Place
- Temecula, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2490ZGeneral Balloon AX-6
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860517017799A
- Case key
- 24915
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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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 was going to participate in a 'hare and hound' event and had departed a festival staging area on a positioning flight. Prior to departing the area the balloon had flown for about 45 minutes. While enroute to the positioning area the balloon had exhausted its liquid propane supply. One occupant in the balloon was attempting to throw a rope to ground witnesses but during the descent the basket contacted some 31 ft AGL high tension wires. All 12 cables and the heater control panel displayed extensive burning/arcing signatures and all of the 1/4 in stainless steel cables were burned through & separated from their respective attach points.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2490Z
- Reported as
- General Balloon AX-6
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 480
- Engine
- unknown UNK, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Leon G. Flanagan
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 7, 1986 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- Temecula, CA
- Airport
- 2L0 · Rancho California
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 51
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 126 total · 126 in this make and model · 110 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.