General Balloon NEWPORT AX8 N1384E
12 August 1995 · Houston, Texas, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 12 August 1995 at about 12:26 local time, a General Balloon NEWPORT AX8 registered N1384E was involved in an accident near Houston, Texas, United States. 3 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 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 12:26
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Houston, Texas, United States
- Coordinates
- 29.5691, -95.1294
- Aircraft
- General Balloon NEWPORT AX8
- Registration
- N1384E
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW95LA338
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE LOSS OF LIFT AND SUBSEQUENT HARD LANDING AS RESULT OF THE DISENGAGEMENT OF A VELCRO STRIP AT THE TOP OF THE BALLOON'S ENVELOPE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE BALLOON LOST LIFT WHILE IN LEVEL FLIGHT AT 500 FEET AGL WHEN A VELCRO STRIP SEPARATED ALLOWING THE TOP OF THE BALLOON'S ENVELOPE TO RELEASE THE HOT AIR. THE PILOT HEARD THE SOUND OF THE SEPARATING VELCRO AND ALERTED THE TWO PASSENGERS THAT THE BALLOON WAS GOING DOWN AS HE IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO ADD HEAT TO THE ENVELOPE TO ARREST THE RATE OF DESCENT. THE BALLOON LANDED HARD IN AN OPEN FIELD, RESULTING IN SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE BALLOON, SERIOUS INJURIES TO ONE OF THE PASSENGERS, AND MINOR INJURIES TO THE COMMERCIAL PILOT AND ANOTHER PASSENGER.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Jan 1995 | Cessna 150L | Needville, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 27 Dec 1995 | Piper PA-24-250 | Kaufman, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 25 Jun 1995 | Beechcraft 77 | McAllen, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Dec 1995 | Republic RC 3 | Whitewright, Texas, United States | William Grantham | No injuries | - |
| 10 Feb 1995 | Piper PA-32R-300 | Conroe, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 5 |
| 22 Dec 1995 | Piper PA-22-160 | Waller, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |