Ballonbau Wörner NL-STU/1000 D-OGBL

Summary

On 10 October 2023 at about 00:25 local time, a Ballonbau Wörner NL-STU/1000 registered D-OGBL, operated by Global Ballooning Sl d.o.o., was involved in an accident near Crandall, Texas, United States. 2 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 October 2023 at 00:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Crandall, Texas, United States

Coordinates

32.6472, -96.4672

Aircraft

Ballonbau Wörner NL-STU/1000

Registration

D-OGBL

Category

Balloon

Year built

2020

Operator

Global Ballooning Sl d.o.o.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Air Race/Show

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Albuquerque → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

CEN24LA009

2 people were seriously injured.

The pilot-in-command’s inadequate descent planning that resulted in the balloon contacting power lines shortly after landing and an explosion of hydrogen gas.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilots were competing in a multi-day, cross-country balloon race. The pilot-in-command stated that they were in a planned descent when they heard gunfire on the ground and ahead of their hydrogen balloon. When interviewed, the pilot-in-command stated that that he never heard any bullets passing by or impacting the balloon, nor did he observe any tracer rounds associated with the gunfire. The flight crew decided to continue the descent and land due to their concerns of flying the balloon at night, at a low altitude, with gunfire activity at the surface. As the balloon descended toward a lighted power substation, the flight crew attempted to jettison ballast to slow the balloon’s decent and clear power lines; however, about 50-100 ft above the ground, the pilot-in-command determined that the balloon would not clear the power lines and he fully opened the balloon’s gas vent to rapidly release the hydrogen and descend rapidly to the surface. The balloon’s basket impacted the ground before the envelope blew into the power lines creating a spark and an explosion of the remaining hydrogen gas. The balloon was destroyed during the hydrogen explosion and postaccident ground fire. Both flight crew members sustained serious injuries during the ground impact, explosion, and ground fire. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.