- Date
- May 26, 2000, 12:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Windermere, FL
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N6341VAerostar S57-A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 30, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000526013359A
- Case key
- 49314
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
an in-flight collision with a tree. A factor in this accident was high wind conditions.
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 tethered with a three-point, 3/4-inch rope top harness system, anchored on the upwind sides to two trees and on the downwind side to a truck. The last four passengers boarded, and the pilot was waiting for the wind speed to decrease when the balloon was suddenly launched on its own and was thrown to the top of the harness, about 80 feet, in less then 2 seconds. The pilot initiated emergency procedures, but was unsuccessful in bringing the balloon back to the ground, because the force of the wind was pushing the balloon upward. The two upwind lines broke leaving the balloon dangling about 100 feet in the air over power lines. After 30 seconds the downwind line broke initiating free flight. The pilot was able to stabilize the balloon enough to initiate an emergency landing. The balloon impacted with trees about 1/8 of a mile downwind of the original tether site.
Factual narrative
On May 26, 2000, about 1200 eastern daylight time, an Aerostar S57-A balloon, N6341V, registered to a private individual impacted with trees during an emergency landing, while on a local sightseeing flight near Windermere, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The balloon received substantial damage. The commercial-rated pilot and four passengers reported no injuries.
According to the pilot, the balloon was tethered with a three-point, 3/4-inch rope top harness system, anchored on the upwind sides to "two solid" old growth trees and on the downwind side to a truck. After several passengers were taken up without incident the last four passengers boarded. The pilot was waiting for a subsidence in wind when the balloon was suddenly launched on its own by "false lift" and was thrown to the top of the harness, about 80 feet, in less than 2 seconds. The pilot initiated vent top emergency "rip-out" procedures, but was unsuccessful in bringing the balloon back to the ground in this manner, because the force of the wind was pushing the balloon upward. The two upwind lines "snapped" leaving the balloon dangling about 100 feet in the air over power lines. The pilot stated, the power lines made "further 'rip-out' options too dangerous to consider." After 30 seconds the downwind line "snapped initiating free flight." The pilot was able to stabilize the balloon enough to initiate an emergency landing. The balloon impacted with trees about 1/8 mile downwind of the original tether site.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6341V
- Reported as
- Aerostar S57-A
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- S57A-3118
- Airframe hours
- 500
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Registered owner
- David M. Fuller
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Unknown
- Flight hours
- 78 total · 78 in this make and model · 43 as pilot in command · 37 in the last 90 days · 23 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.