Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Phoenix, Arizona 85207
Saturday, March 3, 1990 9:10 MST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
AFTER 30 MIN OF FLT, THE PLT LNDD THE BALLOON IN A DESERT AREA. THE CHASE CREW WAS UNABLE TO REACH THE AREA, SO THE PLT ELECTED TO FLY THE BALLOON & PSGRS TO AN ACCESSIBLE AREA. MOMENTS AFTER LIFT-OFF, A FUEL LINE CONNECTION FAILED & A FIRE ERUPTED. THE PILOT TOLD THE PSGRS TO JUMP; 1 PSGR JUMPED (OR FELL) FROM A RELATIVELY HIGH ALTITUDE & WAS FATALLY INJURED. AN EXAM OF THE BALLOON REMAINS REVEALED THE FUEL SYS WAS MODIFIED TO A CONFIGURATION THAT WAS NOT APPROVED BY EITHER THE FAA OR THE MANUFACTURER. ONLY TWO FUEL TANKS WERE ORIGINALLY APPROVED FOR THIS BALLOON; FOUR FUEL TANKS WERE INSTALLED & TWO OTHERS WERE LOOSE IN THE BASKET. THE FUEL MANIFOLDS FOR THE INSTALLED TANKS WERE OF AN UNKNOWN DESIGN & ORIGIN WITH HOSES & FITTINGS THAT DID NOT MEET FACTORY SPECIFICATIONS.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
IMPROPER MODIFICATION OF THE BALLOON'S FUEL/HEATER SYSTEM BY THE OWNER/OPERATOR AND FAILURE OF THE FUEL LINE CONNECTION, WHICH RESULTED IN A FUEL SYSTEM LEAK AND GONDOLA (BASKET) FIRE.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 3/3/1990 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 910 |
| Event Time Zone | Mountain Standard Time |
| Event City | PHOENIX |
| Event State | ARIZONA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 85207 |
| Event Date Year | 1990 |
| Event Date Month | 3 |
| 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 | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | 0 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 10000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 40 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 16 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -18 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Variable |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Light and Variable |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 0 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | 2 |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 4 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1260 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Mar 3 1990 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 915 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 42439 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 18 2002 11:28AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\GIUV |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N364CB |
| NTSB Number | LAX90LA109 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | In-flight |
| Aircraft Explosion | In-flight |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | CAMERON |
| Aircraft Model | O-105 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | O-105 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 603 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2100 |
| 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 | -- |
| Number of Engines | -- |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Unknown |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 0 |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | LYNN KENNELLY |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 6841-A EAST OSBURN |
| Aircraft Owner City | SCOTTSDALE |
| Aircraft Owner State | AZ |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 85261 |
| 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) | Unknown |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | NONE |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 900 |
| Departure Time Zone | MST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Takeoff |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Aug 22 2001 3:51PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | 0 |
| Runway Width | 0 |
| Sight Seeing flight | Yes |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |