Arbc Inc Dba Lindstrand 180A N3013T

Summary

On 4 August 2012 at about 01:40 local time, a Arbc Inc Dba Lindstrand 180A registered N3013T, operated by Gentle Breezes Balloon Rides LLC, was involved in an accident near Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, United States. 7 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 August 2012 at 01:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, United States

Nearest airport

Sauk Prairie (91C)

Coordinates

43.3144, -89.7592

Aircraft

Arbc Inc Dba Lindstrand 180A

Registration

N3013T

Category

Balloon

Operator

Gentle Breezes Balloon Rides LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sauk Prairie → Sauk Prairie

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN12LA591

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's loss of control of the balloon during a landing in higher-than-expected wind conditions, which resulted in a hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Before the flight, the pilot obtained a proper weather briefing, and the wind for the area of the flight was forecast to be about 7 knots and decreasing during the flight. The pilot stated that the wind was initially out of the east about 6 knots, but during the flight it had increased to about 15 knots. The pilot said that after 1 hour and 45 minutes of flight he encountered wind shear. He attempted to descend and maneuver the balloon to seek lower wind, but the terrain was "hilly," which presented problems for landing due to wind "rotors" that could deform the balloon's envelope. According to the pilot, as the balloon moved toward a nearby airport, where he hoped to land, a wind shear pushed the balloon's envelope in. The pilot briefed the passengers before landing; however, the balloon's gondola hit tree tops during the descent and began to tip. The pilot then shut off the burners and opened the balloon's envelope vents to rapidly deflate the balloon, which would minimize the gondola being dragged after landing. During the landing, one of the passengers sustained a serious leg injury. Although the wind at the accident site could not be determined, one of the passengers reported that his hand-held GPS device indicated a ground speed of 15 mph just before touchdown. Landing in higher wind conditions in a balloon typically results in the gondola tipping over and dragging as the envelope deflates and is pulled by the wind.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.