Balony Kubicek Spol Sro BB70Z N245DK accident near Park City, Utah

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to see and avoid power lines during landing.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that the wind shifted before departure and that, although this would result in the balloon travelling to an area with "limited landing opportunities," he chose to continue the departure. During landing, the balloon descended to about 20 to 30 ft above the ground, and the landing area was on a hillside that had a commercial building on the top and that, at the base of the hill, was a short pole with guy wires. He did not see any other poles, so he "focused" on the intended landing site. As the balloon approached the landing site, a passenger asked, "if we would hit that power line?" He looked up and saw two power lines above and forward of the balloon's path, and he immediately vented the balloon to land and stop its forward progress. The balloon collided with the power lines and settled to the ground.

The balloon sustained substantial damage to 3 of its 24 cables that attach the envelope to the basket.

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the balloon that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA17CA262 for the full record.