NTSB CAROL · Event
Event FTW89FA136
Registry · N85DP
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
CIRRUS DESIGN SR22T
Seats / Engines
5 seats · 1 engine
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S ABA558
Registrant of record
CIRRUS DESIGN CORP
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO ABORT THE ATTEMPT TO CLEAR THE OBSTACLE. FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE POOR CONDITION OF THE BALLOON ENVELOPE AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF EXPERIENCE AS PILOT IN COMMAND OF BALLOON OPERATIONS.
Factual narrative
THE BALLOON FAILED TO ESTABLISH A CLIMB AND CLEAR A SET OF POWER LINES DESPITE THE FACT THAT, ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE PILOT ACTUATED THE BURNER REPEATEDLY. WHEN IT STRUCK POWER LINES, A TANK EXPLODED, AND THE BASKET WAS RELEASED AND CONSUMED BY FIRE. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE DEFLATION SYSTEM HAD NOT BEEN ACTIVATED PRIOR TO THE WIRE STRIKE. ALSO, THE ENVELOPE WAS IN POOR REPAIR, WHICH DECREASED ITS EFFFICIENCY. THE PRIVATE BALLOON PILOT HAD ACCUMULATED A TOTAL OF 9 HOURS AS PIC OUT OF A TOTAL OF 24. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1989_FTW89FA136.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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