ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 265511
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| Date: | Thursday 15 July 2021 |
| Time: | 19:45 LT |
| Type: |  Cameron O-105 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N2925L |
| MSN: | 0-105 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1984 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 5 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Piedmont, NH -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | Post Mills, VT (2B9) |
| Piermont, NH | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The balloon departed with the pilot and four passengers for a commercial sightseeing flight. About 45 minutes into the flight, the burner's pilot light extinguished. The pilot told the passengers that he had to switch propane tanks; however, he could not locate the striker to relight the burner. The balloon started to descend while the pilot searched the balloon basket for the striker, and several minutes later, he located a backup striker. The balloon had descended close to the ground by the time the pilot re-lit the pilot light, and he could not get the balloon to climb before impacting a field.
One passenger and the pilot were thrown from the basket upon impact. The balloon then started to rise, and the pilot's foot was trapped between the balloon attach rope and the basket frame. The pilot untangled his foot but remained hanging below the basket for about 1 mile before falling to a field and suffering fatal injuries. The remaining passengers contacted ground support personnel via a handheld radio and received instructions on how to operate the balloon controls in preparation for landing. The balloon traveled about another 3.5 miles before landing in trees.
Examination of the balloon did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Had the pilot been able to relight the burner in a timely manner, it was likely that he would have been able to sufficiently arrest the balloon's descent rate to prevent the hard landing.
Probable Cause: The balloon pilot's delay in relighting the burner, which resulted in a hard landing and his ejection from the balloon.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB ERA21LA290
FAA register: https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N2925L
Location
Images:
Media:
NTSB is investigating the July 15, 2021, accident involving a Hot Air Balloon near Piedmont, New Hampshire.
— NTSB_Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) July 16, 2021
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 16-Jul-2021 12:49 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 16-Jul-2021 12:50 | Captain Adam | Updated [Embed code] |
| 16-Jul-2021 13:28 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source, Embed code] |
| 06-Jul-2023 21:36 | Captain Adam | Updated [[Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source, Embed code]] |
| 07-Jul-2023 19:12 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [[[Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source, Embed code]]] |
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