- Date
- June 16, 1990, 08:37 local (15:37 UTC)
- Place
- Davis, CA
- Injuries
- 7 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6307CAerostar S-66A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 12, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900616021119A
- Case key
- 26840
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 failure of the pilot to properly manage the fuel valves to provide adequate fuel pressure to the burner.
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
During a sightseeing flight the pilot observed that the balloons' burner was not producing sufficient flame to keep the balloon from descending. The pilot made a forced landing and collided with wires. During the post-accident investigation, two of the four fuel tanks were found containing fuel, and two tanks were nearly empty. The pilot light was lighted and the burner satisfactorily operated when the tanks containing fuel were place on-line.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6307C
- Reported as
- Aerostar S-66A
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 3041
- Airframe hours
- 3
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Operator
- Boland, Gary, doing business as American Balloon Adventures
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · June 6, 1990 · 0 hours before
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
- 38
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Flight hours
- 600 total · 200 in this make and model · 580 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 315° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °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.