Adams Balloon A55 N4031Z
15 June 2003 · Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 15 June 2003 at about 14:30 local time, a Adams Balloon A55 registered N4031Z was involved in an accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 14:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
- Nearest airport
- Albuquerque Intl (ABQ)
- Coordinates
- 35.0000, -106.6003
- Aircraft
- Adams Balloon A55
- Registration
- N4031Z
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Albuquerque → Albuquerque
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DEN03LA105
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
the pilot's improper planned approach for a landing and obstacle clearance not maintained. A contributing factor was the power lines.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
According to the pilot he was approaching a vacant field for landing. The balloon crossed over a hot, paved parking lot, began to rotate and descended onto a live power line at the edge of the lot. The pilot attempted to recover; however, the balloon continued to sink, and the basket struck the top power line. The pilot stated "the speed at which the balloon was traveling forward was so slow that the wire brought the basket to a halt instead of snapping [the wire] in half." Subsequently, the basket slid down towards the ground. The power line came in contact with the suspension cable, "allowing electricity to run up the side of the balloon through the digital temperature wire." A fire ignited at the top when the electricity reached the sensor. The pilot stated the "pressure inside the balloon" rose, causing "a blast in the balloon that blew the top out,...draping the envelope over the live wire." Another fire erupted under the basket. The pilot and ground crew extinguished both fires.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Jun 2003 | Cessna 182R | Hobbs, New Mexico, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 12 Jun 2003 | Cessna R172E | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Kirtland Flight Center | No injuries | - |
| 5 Nov 2003 | Maule M-7-235C | Truth or Conseq, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Apr 2003 | Air Tractor AT-502 | Sedan, New Mexico, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 30 Nov 2003 | Cessna T210K | Deming, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 Mar 2003 | Mohr STARDUSTER TOO | Espanola, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |