NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ATL89LA135
Registry · N52652
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
BOEING A75N1(PT17)
Year of manufacture
1942 · 47 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR W670 SERIES (250 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19691027
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A6A25A
Registrant of record
UNITED BALLOON VENTURES LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
CLIMB NOT POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF A DOWNDRAFT WHICH EXCEEDED THE PERFORMANCE CAPABILITIES OF THE AIRPLANE. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: INADEQUATE LOCATION OF THE WIND SOCK, THE ADVERSE WIND CONDITIONS, AND THE TREES.
Factual narrative
THE 2970' RWY (ELEVATION 820') WAS MOSTLY SURROUNDED BY TREES. WITH A TEMP OF ABOUT 81 DEG, THE ESTIMATED DENSITY ALT WAS 2700'. AS THE PLT & PSGR WERE TAXIING TO RWY 2 TO TAKE OFF, THE WIND SOCK, WHICH WAS LOCATED BELOW THE TREE TOPS, WAS NOTED TO BE LIMP. THE PLT RPRTD THAT DURING TAKEOFF, LIFT-OFF WAS AT 65 MPH AFTER AN APRX 600' ROLL & A CLIMB WAS ESTABD AT 75 TO 80 MPH. HOWEVER, AS THE ACFT CLIMBED ABV THE TREES, A LEFT DRIFT WAS ENCTRD & THE ACFT STOPPED CLIMBING,ALTHOUGH THERE WAS NO APPARENT ENG PROBLEM. BY THIS TIME, THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT RWY REMAINING TO ABORT & THE ACFT WAS APCHG TREES NEAR THE END OF THE RWY. THE PLT TRADED AIRSPEED FOR ALT TO CLEAR THE TREES & THEN THE ACFT BEGAN TO MUSH. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT SETTLED INTO SMALLER TREES & CAME TO REST WITH SUBSTANTIAL DMG. THE PLT BELIEVED THE ACFT ENCTRD A QUARTERING TAILWIND & A DOWNDRAFT AS IT WAS CLIMBING ABV THE TREES DURING TAKEOFF & SUBSEQUENTLY GOT BEHIND THE POWER CURVE. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1989_ATL89LA135.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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