Aerostar RX-7 N7144Y

Summary

On 25 July 2004 at about 00:00 local time, a Aerostar RX-7 registered N7144Y was involved in an accident near Wausau, Wisconsin, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 July 2004 at 00:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Wausau, Wisconsin, United States

Coordinates

44.9261, -89.6322

Aircraft

Aerostar RX-7

Registration

N7144Y

Category

Balloon

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Wausau → Wausau

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI04CA191

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's inability to compensation for the turbulence and wind conditions. Contributing factors were the variable winds and the turbulence.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot suffered a broken leg when the hot air balloon experienced a hard landing due to gusty winds. The balloon was not damaged. The pilot reported a normal ascent and smooth flight for the first 5 minutes. She stated that the balloon then encountered turbulence. Initially the balloon climbed at 800 feet per minute (fpm) on a north-northwesterly heading, before switching to a southeasterly heading about 1,800 feet agl. Shortly afterward the balloon began to descend at 800 fpm. When the balloon reached an altitude of 100 feet agl the pilot attempted a normal landing. She estimated the wind was about 3 miles per hour toward the east-southeast. During the landing attempt, the pilot reported that a wind gust lifted the balloon up and over some trees and across a road. She noted that the balloon subsequently landed normally in a "swampy" area. However, before she could alert the ground crew a wind gust lifted the balloon to about 250 feet agl. The balloon subsequently traveled across a road and dropped into a hay field. She reported that she broke her leg during the hard landing. The pilot stated that because the envelope was partially deflated at this point, she did not have time to use the airborne heater to soften the impact. The balloon was dragged by the wind until she could retrieve the vent line to fully deflate the envelope. The pilot stated that she had obtained a pre-flight weather briefing from Green Bay Automated Flight Service Station. She also reported that they had launched several PIBAL's (pilot balloon observation) to check upper level winds prior to launch.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.