DEN91LA100

1991-07-14 · AVON, Colorado, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Aircraft involved

N57053 Aerostar S57-A Minor

Probable cause & findings

THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN A VISUAL LOOKOUT. A FACTOR WAS: THE PILOT'S ATTENTION BEING DIVERTED.

Factual narrative

THE BALLOON PILOT WAS LOOKING FOR A SUITABLE PLACE TO LAND. HIS ATTENTION WAS DIVERTED BY PERSONS ON THE GROUND AND RADIO COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE CHASE CREW. WHEN HE LOOKED UP, HE SAW POWERLINES DIRECTLY AHEAD. HE PULLED THE DEFLATION LINE AND TOLD HIS PASSENGERS TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THE BASKET. THE BALLOON CONTACTED THE POWERLINES, IGNITING SKIRT PANELS AND DRIPPING MELTED FABRIC ON THE OCCUPANTS. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1991_DEN91LA100.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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