Ultramagic Sa M56C N801UM
4 August 2022 · Indianola, Iowa, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 4 August 2022 at about 12:50 local time, a Ultramagic Sa M56C registered N801UM was involved in an accident near Indianola, Iowa, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. 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 12:50
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Indianola, Iowa, United States
- Nearest airport
- N/A
- Coordinates
- 41.1753, -93.3216
- Aircraft
- Ultramagic Sa M56C
- Registration
- N801UM
- Category
- Balloon
- Year built
- 2019
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Des Moines → Des Moines
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN22LA365
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate clearance from powerlines.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that he was participating in a balloon event that consisted of dropping markers on targets at various locations. While approaching the final target, he crossed some trees about 200 ft above ground level (agl) in a descent. After crossing the trees, when the balloon was about 20 ft agl, he heard someone announce “powerline” over his crew radio and saw approaching powerlines above his line of sight. He immediately pulled his deflation line and shut off the fuel tanks. The balloon subsequently contacted the powerlines, which resulted in electrical arcing and the basket impacted the ground. The balloon sustained substantial damage to the envelope and the basket. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the balloon that would have precluded normal operation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Jul 2022 | Air Tractor AT502 | Ute, Iowa, United States | Midwest Custom Ag Aviation | Fatal | 1 |
| 1 Aug 2022 | Bell 206B | Arcadia, Iowa, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 28 Sep 2022 | Cessna 172M | Monticello, Iowa, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 2022 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Lamoni, Iowa, United States | Stardust Ag Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 30 Jul 2022 | Arbc Inc Dba Lindstrand 150A | Indianola, Iowa, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 20 Dec 2022 | Cessna 150G | Pocahantas, Iowa, United States | - | No injuries | - |