Primary finding
Probable cause
Lack of crew coordination when the ground crew failed to hold the balloon in position following landing as the pilot expected them to do. A factor was power lines.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
During landing, at the completion of a local area commercial sightseeing flight, the pilot of the balloon thought the ground crew was going to hold the balloon in position. They failed to do so, and the balloon drifted into power lines. Wind at the time was approximately 4 knots.
Source record
Factual narrative
On August 12, 2000, at 0915 mountain daylight time, an Aerostar S-66A balloon, N5268L sustained substantial damage when it struck power lines during landing at Edwards, Colorado. The commercial pilot and his five passengers were not injured. The flight was operating under Title 14 CFR Part 913 as a local area sightseeing flight and no flight plan was filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. According to the pilot, wind blew the balloon into power lines during the landing when the ground crew, who the pilot thought was going to hold it in position, failed to do so. The pilot reported the wind at the time to be about 4 knots. Damage to the balloon was to the pyrometer, 7 panels, and 2 load tapes.