Adams Balloons A55S N866RA

Summary

On 10 April 2022 at about 14:03 local time, a Adams Balloons A55S registered N866RA was involved in an accident near Safford, Arizona, United States. 5 people were on board and 2 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

10 April 2022 at 14:03

Classification

Accident

Location

Safford, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

32.8332, -109.7715

Aircraft

Adams Balloons A55S

Registration

N866RA

Category

Balloon

Year built

2019

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Safford → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR22LA152

2 people were seriously injured.

The pilot’s decision to continue the balloon’s fast approach to an unsuitable confined landing site, which resulted in a collision with powerline wires.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that shortly after takeoff as they climbed to a higher altitude, she noticed the burners sounded different and they didn’t seem to produce as much power as they usually did, so she elected to perform an emergency landing. During the descent, the balloon descended below power lines, and the pilot applied maximum available power to avoid a collision with the power lines. The pilot then decreased the power to immediately land in a nearby parking lot. The balloon touched down, bounced and the envelope contacted power lines that bordered the fence enclosed parking lot. Just beyond the parking lot where the pilot landed was open uninhabited land. Postaccident examination of the accident balloon’s fuel supply system, ignition, burner, gages, and operational checks revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot was able to successfully add power to climb over the power lines as she approached her selected landing site, indicating that she still possessed control over the balloon’s descent rate. Despite still having climb capabilities, she elected to continue the approach to the confined area, which resulted in a collision with power lines. Review of the landing area indicated that there were miles of unobstructed hazard-free landing sites that would have been more suitable for the landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.