Colt Balloons 160A N976TC

Summary

On 20 July 2014 at about 00:00 local time, a Colt Balloons 160A registered N976TC, operated by Young Derald E, was involved in an accident near Clinton, Massachusetts, United States. 7 people were on board and 3 were seriously injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 July 2014 at 00:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Clinton, Massachusetts, United States

Coordinates

42.4167, -71.6833

Aircraft

Colt Balloons 160A

Registration

N976TC

Category

Balloon

Year built

1989

Operator

Young Derald E

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Shrewsbury → Clinton

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA14LA347

3 people were seriously injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight and inflight planning and improper landing site selection and approach path, which resulted in the balloon contacting powerlines during landing. Contributing to the accident was the Federal Aviation Administration's inadequate oversight of balloon tour operators.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot departed on the hot air balloon tour flight with 6 passengers. After about 1 hour of flight, the balloon approached a town; with about 20 minutes of fuel remaining and about 30 minutes until sunset, the pilot descended the balloon to locate a landing site. He subsequently selected the yard of a residence near an intersection. The pilot initiated a descent, intermittently activating the balloon's burners to maintain the descent path. As the balloon approached the landing site, the envelope contacted powerlines, resulting in an electrical discharge, a shower of sparks, and portions of the powerlines falling onto the ground and a parked vehicle. The balloon sustained thermal damage to the basket, but continued a controlled descent to the intended landing site. Three of the passengers received serious electrical burns as a result of the balloon's contact with the powerlines. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the balloon that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot further stated that he was unfamiliar with the area and was navigating with the aid of a map application on his cell phone. Although the pilot reported that the overflight of the town was the result of a sudden shift in wind direction, given the balloon's departure location and the accident site, the balloon maintained a predominately northerly heading throughout the flight; there was no indication of any variation in wind direction. Based on this information, the pilot should have been able to predict the balloon's flight path with reasonable accuracy both before and after reaching the town and plan a landing site accordingly. Review of satellite imagery for the surrounding area showed several suitable landing fields about 1 ¼ nautical miles north of the accident site. The accident was one of 4 events involving the accident pilot, all of which occurred during low-level operation or confined area landings and resulted in property damage. The events displayed a pattern of poor decision-making which was also exhibited during the accident flight with the pilot's decision to land in a populated area confined by powerlines. Given this history, it is possible that, with a more robust system of oversight and surveillance of balloon operators, the Federal Aviation Administration would have identified the accident pilot as a potential safety risk and taken steps to mitigate this risk.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.