Strategie Ballloon AMAZON PPXKY
5 November 2006 · Page, Arizona, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 5 November 2006 at about 14:45 local time, a Strategie Ballloon AMAZON registered PPXKY was involved in an accident near Page, Arizona, United States. 5 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 14:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Page, Arizona, United States
- Coordinates
- 36.9250, -111.4333
- Aircraft
- Strategie Ballloon AMAZON
- Registration
- PPXKY
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Page → Page
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX07CA028
People
2 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to identify grass clippings in the balloon envelope during a preflight inspection, which resulted in the balloon catching fire in flight.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The balloon's envelope caught fire during the takeoff initial climb and the pilot made a hard landing during efforts to get it on the ground as quickly as possible. During a pre-departure inflation, dry grass cuttings were accidentally blown into the balloon's envelope by a fan used to blow air into the balloon during the cold inflation phase. When departing, the pilot turned on the burners until the balloon started to ascend from the launch field. As the balloon continued through 300 feet above ground level (agl), he noticed that grass cuttings were inside the balloon envelope, and had become engulfed in flames. Shortly thereafter, the fabric on the envelope's throat started to burn, and the pilot pulled the vent line in an effort to descend. The suspension cables began to disconnect from the throat of the balloon as a result of the fire. The basket contacted the ground and two passengers were ejected. The absence of the passengers' weight resulted in the balloon starting an ascent. The fire continued to burn the fabric comprising the balloon's throat and seven additional suspension cables disconnected. The pilot manipulated the balloon back to the surface and the ground crew secured the basket.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Apr 2006 | General Atomics PREDATOR B | Nogales, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Dec 2006 | Piper PA 23-235 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 May 2006 | Waco Classic YMF 5C | Holbrook, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Oct 2006 | Wilson Quicksilver SPORT 2S | Buckeye, Arizona, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 4 Mar 2006 | Piper PA-32R-300 | Winslow, Arizona, United States | Ronald D. Craig | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Jun 2006 | Cessna 152 | Peoria, Arizona, United States | Pan Am International Flight Academy | Fatal | 2 |