Adams A55S N1063V
6 December 1997 · Gallup, New Mexico, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 6 December 1997 at about 16:25 local time, a Adams A55S registered N1063V was involved in an accident near Gallup, New Mexico, United States. 2 people were on board. One person on the ground also died. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 16:25
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Gallup, New Mexico, United States
- Coordinates
- 35.5191, -108.7307
- Aircraft
- Adams A55S
- Registration
- N1063V
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW98LA064
People
Injuries not recorded.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured | On the ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Probable cause
failure of the ground crewman to follow proper procedures. A factor relating to the accident was: the passenger failed to follow the pilot's verbal instructions.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot landed his hot air balloon several times to allow passengers to disembark and other passengers to board. On the last landing, he vented heat from the envelope to insure loss of buoyancy, then instructed one of the passengers to step out but to keep his weight on the basket. The passenger complied. The second passenger exited before the pilot could give similar instructions, and the balloon began to ascend. Unable to hold the balloon down, ground personnel released their weight from the basket. The pilot immediately pulled the vent line, but the balloon continued to ascend at a 'moderate rate.' The pilot then noticed a shadow hanging from the balloon and saw one of his ground crew members holding on to one of the rope handles, located along the bottom edge of the basket. The balloon was 15 to 20 feet in the air and continuing to ascend. The pilot continued to vent the envelope. The balloon reached a maximum altitude of 75 to 80 feet before it began to descend. When it was approximately 40 feet above the ground, the ground crew member said she couldn't hold on anymore. She fell to the ground, sustaining fatal injuries.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Adams A55S accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Jul 1999 | Adams A55S | Woodstock, Georgia, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 18 Mar 2000 | Adams A55S | Los Lunas, New Mexico, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 Jun 1988 | Adams A55S | Collierville, Tennessee, United States | Turnispeed, Micheal R. | Serious injuries | - |
| 15 Oct 2006 | Adams A55S | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Jun 1984 | Adams A55S | Grayslake, Illinois, United States | Ronald J. Rytie | Serious injuries | - |
| 7 Jun 1980 | Adams A55S | Gainesville, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Jun 1997 | Piper PA-18 | Clovis, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Jan 1997 | Beechcraft 95-B55 | Mayhill, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 3 Feb 1997 | Aeronca 65-TC | Moriarty, New Mexico, United States | William A. Essenburg | Fatal | 2 |
| 15 Feb 1997 | Piper PA-24-250 | Farmington, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 5 |
| 6 Oct 1997 | Aerostar S-60A | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Ronald E. Hensley | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jul 1997 | Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-2B | Hobbs, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |