Aerostar RALLY RX-8 accident near Morgan Hill, CA
On May 9, 1999, an Aerostar RALLY RX-8 (balloon) was involved in an accident near Morgan Hill, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 9, 1999
- Place
- Morgan Hill, CA
- Aircraft
- Aerostar RALLY RX-8 · Balloon
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 37.169°N, 121.651°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001212X18796
Official records · LAX99FA177
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Transcript of Radio Communications: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 9, 1999, at 0746 hours Pacific daylight time, an Aerostar International, Inc., Rally RX-8, N70290, operated by Balloons by the Sea, Marina, California, drifted into power lines during the initial takeoff climb from an open field in Morgan Hill, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 aerial sightseeing passenger flight. The balloon was destroyed. The commercial pilot was seriously injured, and the two revenue passengers were fatally injured. The planned local area flight commenced from the field about 0745. The pilot reported to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that he drove onto the open field and chose the location where the balloon was set up for the flight. During a previous occasion, he had used the same field to launch the balloon, and he was aware of the field's proximity to the power lines. The pilot's sole ground crewmember reported to the Safety Board investigator that he was not a pilot. The crewmember stated that the pilot set up the balloon for takeoff. The crewmember identified the location where the balloon had been set up. This location was subsequently determined to be approximately 298 feet west of the east side of the rectangular shaped field. Power lines are located along the field's east side, where the entranceway to the field is located. The pilot reported to the Safety Board investigator that he was unable to complete the pretakeoff check of the balloon before taking off because the wind speed increased rapidly. However, he believed that
Probable cause
The pilot's selection of an inadequate takeoff site that did not allow sufficient horizontal clearance from obstacles in the takeoff path, and, his failure to ensure that all burners were connected to fuel sources, which reduced the available climb capability of the balloon. Also causal was the pilot's failure to activate the emergency vent panel and land prior to contact with the power lines, and
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Browse: California · Aerostar aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
