- Date
- July 16, 1988, 07:30 local (11:30 UTC)
- Place
- Wellsville, NY
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- CGDGKFantasy Sky Promotions AX-7
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 18, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 36187
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
About 35 hot air balloons were entered in the great Wellsville balloon rally. At 0625 EDT, the plt (of c-gdgk) attended a wx briefing that was given to the plts by the balloonmeister. The plt said the balloonmeister indicated that there would be suitable flying conditions with light surface winds from the south, & 27 kt winds at 3000 ft, with no change expected until about noon. When the balloon launched at 0640 EDT, the wind was from the north at 7 to 10 KTS. About 40 min later, the plt noticed dust was blowing & trees were bending in the wind. He decided to land at the earliest convenient time. He stated that the landing was harder than normal due to diminished altitude control. The 2 pax rcvd serious injuries. Nine of the other plts also rprtd problems with their landings. The wind was rprtd to have shifted & was blowing at 30 to 40 KTS.
Aircraft
- Registration
- CGDGK
- Reported as
- Fantasy Sky Promotions AX-7
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 012
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Paul Guest
- Departed
- Wellsville, NY
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 37
- Certificate
- Foreign
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Flight hours
- 57 total · 16 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 35 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Temperature
- 75 °F