Ultramagic S-160 N30048

Summary

On 18 March 2010 at about 01:55 local time, a Ultramagic S-160 registered N30048, operated by Panorama Balloon Tours, was involved in an accident near Rancho Santa Fe, California, United States. 9 people were on board and 3 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 March 2010 at 01:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Rancho Santa Fe, California, United States

Coordinates

32.9928, -117.1692

Aircraft

Ultramagic S-160

Registration

N30048

Category

Balloon

Operator

Panorama Balloon Tours

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Encinitas → Rancho Santa Fe

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

WPR10LA169

3 people were seriously injured.

A reduction of burner/heat production due to low fuel. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's continued flight with a low fuel status.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that as the air tour balloon flight progressed, the wind moving the balloon gradually dissipated to a calm state. He stated that to reach his selected landing site, he needed to cross over some high power transmission wires; however, the balloon's three burners failed to produce full power and he elected to land short of the transmission wires. He performed an emergency descent by pulling the top out of the envelope and subsequently, the balloon landed hard. During the landing, three passengers were injured, and the envelope snagged on several trees resulting in substantial damage to the envelope. According to the pilot, at the time of the landing, each of the three 20-gallon fuel tanks was approximately 15 to 20 percent full. A balloon repair station owner reported that burner utilization during flight is either FULL on or totally off (except for the pilot light). When the fuel level of a tank is between approximately 10 to 20 percent, the liquid propane will begin to cavitate in a vortex manner due to the rapid evacuation of fuel through the fuel tank's liquid dip tube, which supplies each respective burner via a fuel hose. When this occurs, there is a discernible difference in the sound of a burner, a pulsing woof-woof, and the power output/thermal output is dramatically reduced. The Flight Manual for the balloon stated in the landing section: "Burner, connect if possible to a fuel cylinder filled to at least 40 percent of its capacity." Additionally, the Flight Manual states "Any contact with electric power lines is extremely dangerous and should be avoided at all costs."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.