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CHI82DA126

1982-04-18 · SELLERSBURG, Indiana, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 941

Aircraft involved

Factual narrative

DURING A LANDING APPROACH, THE PILOT WAS AWARE OF POWERLINES TO THE LEFT OF HIS COURSE. JUST PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN, HE BECAME AWARE OF A BRANCH OFF OF THE POWERLINES THAT CROSSED IN FRONT OF THE BALLOON'S PATH. HE RIPPED OUT THE TOP INFLATION PANEL; HOWEVER, DURING THE LANDING, THE ENVELOPE DRAPED OVER THE POWERLINES. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE TOP WIRE SEPARATED AND STARTED A GRASS FIRE THAT ULTIMATELY SPREAD AND DESTROYED THE BASKET AND ENVELOPE. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1982_CHI82DA126.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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