Rancho Santa Fe, CA, USA
N4506B
Cameron Balloons N-180
The balloon collided with a tree while attempting to land during a revenue sightseeing flight. The pilot said that he was descending to land in a golf course at the time of the accident and collided with a tree short of the intended landing zone after inadvertently shutting off the number 2 burner. The crossover valve for that burner is in close proximity to the burner handle. About 30 feet above the ground, the balloon collided with an eucalyptus tree. The balloon envelope tore slowly enough to safely drop the basket to the ground. None of the 11 passengers and crew onboard were injured.
On November 25, 2005, about 1636 Pacific standard time, a Cameron N-180, N4506B, struck a tree while attempting to land in a field near Rancho Santa Fe, California. Silvertop, Inc., operated the balloon under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The commercial pilot, 1 crewmember, and 10 passengers were not injured; the balloon sustained substantial damage. The local for hire sightseeing flight departed Del Mar, California, about 1608, with a planned destination of Rancho Santa Fe. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. In a written statement to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator, the pilot said that he was descending to land in a golf course at the time of the accident and collided with a tree short of the intended landing zone after inadvertently shutting off the number 2 burner. The crossover valve for that burner is in close proximity to the burner handle. About 30 feet above the ground, the balloon collided with an eucalyptus tree. The balloon envelope tore slowly enough to safely drop the basket to the ground. No injuries were reported when the pilot interviewed the passengers immediately following the accident.
the pilot's inadvertent deactivation of the number 2 burner, which resulted in an increased rate of descent and a collision with a tree short of the intended landing zone.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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