Raven Industries Inc S-66A N57194 accident near Avra Valley, Arizona

Probable cause

The pilot's improper decision to partially open the balloon's vent before clearing a power line while landing, which resulted in the balloon descending too soon and contacting the power line.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that the balloon was traveling 5 to 7 knots west toward a road oriented north-south with a power line running along the east side of the road. Beyond the power line and road was a large area of open desert where the pilot planned to land. When the balloon was about 100 yards from the lines at an altitude of about 300 feet above ground level, the pilot began setting the balloon up for landing by cracking open the vent-top of the envelope. The pilot operated one of the two burners to compensate for the expected loss of lift from the partly open top; however, the balloon began a slow descent instead of maintaining altitude, and the descent rate seemed to accelerate. In response, the pilot operated both burners and looked up at the top of the balloon, which he found was over a third open instead of the expected 2- to 3-foot crack. Realizing that the balloon’s glidepath would now result in the basket impacting the upper wire of the power line, the pilot decided to fully open the top of the balloon and land short of the power line. The balloon descended and impacted the power line wires with the basket suspension cables contacting more than one wire, which resulted in electrical arcing. The envelope folded over the wires, and the basket came to rest on the ground. The pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented by initiating the set-up for landing only after crossing the last obstacle before the landing area.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR12LA138 for the full record.