- Date
- October 19, 1991, 09:15 local (13:15 UTC)
- Place
- Webster, NH
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 2 minor, 2 uninjured; on the ground: 1 fatal, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4051LBalloon Works Firefly 7
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911019047069A
- Case key
- 37091
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
Failure of the ground crewman (from another balloon) to recognize the hazardous condition that existed, when the balloon came in contact with a high voltage power line during a precautionary landing. Factors related to the accident were: the lack of suitable terrain for the precautionary landing, the proximity of the power line, failure of the balloon pilot to remain clear of the power line, and the ground crewman's failure to properly communicate with the balloon pilot.
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
With low fuel, the plt made a precautionary lnd in a confined area, next to a 34,500 volt pwr line. The plt said a gnd crewman grabbed the basket prior to touchdown, and she was not aware of his presence. The deflating balloon envelope contacted the pwr line and current flowed down the temperature sensing line between the top of the envelope and the basket. The gnd crewman was fatally electrocuted and his 12 year old son received minor injuries. The gnd crewman was from another balloon crew which had already landed; he was not in radio contact with the plt of N4051L
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4051L
- Reported as
- Balloon Works Firefly 7
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 7946
- Airframe hours
- 445
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Mary Ann Lappies
- Registered owner
- Edward Lappies
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 4, 1991 · 14 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
- 41
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Flight hours
- 93 total · 93 in this make and model · 75 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CON, 10 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.