Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Fountain, Colorado 80817
Sunday, September 4, 1994 7:55 MDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND THE BALLOON IN AN OPEN FIELD 'IN WIND CONDITIONS THAT WOULD HAVE ALLOWED THE BALLOON TO HAVE REMAINED UPRIGHT FOR A STAND UP LANDING.' GROUND CONTACT WAS HARDER THAN THE PILOT ANTICIPATED AND THE BASKET TIPPED OVER. A PASSENGER FELL OUT AND THE WIND DRAGGED THE BASKET OVER HER. AS THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO PULL THE PASSENGER BACK INTO THE BASKET, SHE LOST HER BALANCE AND THE BALLOON ASCENDED WITH THE PILOT HOLDING ONTO THE VENT LINE. THE BALLOON CAME BACK DOWN AND THE PILOT FELL OUT. AS THE BALLOON WAS DRAGGED OVER THE PILOT, HER LEG BECAME ENTANGLED IN THE VENT LINE. THE BALLOON LIFTED OFF AND ASCENDED ABOUT 25 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. THE PILOT DISENTANGLED HERSELF AND FELL TO THE GROUND. THE CHASE CREW TOLD THE REMAINING PASSENGER TO PULL THE RIP CORD TO DEFLATE THE ENVELOPE. SHE DID AND THE BALLOON DESCENDED TO THE GROUND ABOUT TWO BLOCKS AWAY. AN FAA INSPECTOR, AFTER VIEWING A VIDEO TAPE OF THE ACCIDENT, SAID THE LANDING WAS MADE IN HIGH WIND CONDITIONS, AND THE PILOT DID NOT USE A HIGH WIND LANDING TECHNIQUE.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER AIRCRAFT HANDLING DURING LANDING IN HIGH WIND CONDITIONS. A FACTOR WAS THE HIGH WIND.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 9/4/1994 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 755 |
| Event Time Zone | Mountain Daylight Time |
| Event City | FOUNTAIN |
| Event State | COLORADO |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 80817 |
| Event Date Year | 1994 |
| Event Date Month | 9 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 756 Mountain Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 341 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | COS |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 6172 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 8 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | MDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 18 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 7 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 360 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 7 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 7651 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Serious |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 3 |
| Injury Total All | 3 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1042 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Sep 4 1994 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 900 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 6 2000 12:14PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N3578D |
| NTSB Number | FTW94FA287 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | None |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Aerostar |
| Aircraft Model | RX-7 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | RX-7 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | RX7-3211 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1600 |
| Aircraft Category | Balloon |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 0 |
| Number of Engines | -- |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | May 20 1994 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 9 |
| Airframe Hours | 140 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | NOVITSKY, LYNN A. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 3941 E. ORCHARD RD. |
| Aircraft Owner City | LITTLETON |
| Aircraft Owner State | CO |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 80121 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | NONE |
| Departure City | COLO. SPRINGS |
| Departure State | CO |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 715 |
| Departure Time Zone | MDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | NONE |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |