Aerostar RALLY RX-7 N6426K

Summary

On 26 June 1999 at about 13:45 local time, a Aerostar RALLY RX-7 registered N6426K was involved in an accident near Prescott Valley, Arizona, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

26 June 1999 at 13:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Prescott Valley, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

34.6295, -112.3098

Aircraft

Aerostar RALLY RX-7

Registration

N6426K

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

LAX99LA229

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's inadequate visual lookout and subsequent failure to maintain adequate clearance with the wires.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that she was flying the lead balloon in a group of 22 balloons. She took off and climbed to approximately 1,000 feet agl, flying a south-to-north route. She stated that the surface winds were from the south about 3 knots. The pilot reported that she selected a landing site and descended to a lower altitude to set up her approach. A ground crewmember checked the surface winds with a windmeter and reported that they were from the south at 2.5 knots. The pilot flew over a residential area and descended again after clearing the last house. She reported that she checked carefully for power lines and poles. She vented the balloon to descend, reached for the rip line, and suddenly saw a power line outlined against the sky. She reported that the power lines arced and cut the cables that connect the balloon to the basket. The basket separated and fell about 20 feet to the ground. The power lines remained intact. The pilot reported that she had not experienced any problems with the balloon prior to impacting the power lines.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.