Hot Air Balloon down Albuquerque

RyanB

RyanB

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Turns out I know 2 of the folks that were killed.

We were members of the same church here in Gallup until John and Susan moved to ABQ to pursue better employment opportunities.
 
Zeldman said:
Turns out I know 2 of the folks that were killed.

We were members of the same church here in Gallup until John and Susan moved to ABQ to pursue better employment opportunities.
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Wow, that’s tough man. Sorry to hear!
 
I can just imaging the serious ‘lag’ in climbing when ‘adding power’ with balloon piloting. Like other forms of propulsion, density altitude could also be an issue. I’ve never flown one, just backing up to the stated power line strike. They seemed rather high when falling?

I didn’t see extended video footage. Is it possible that as the potential strike was imminent, bookoo power was added, still hit the wires(lag), then started the climb in a damaged state?

Another factor to consider is the low altitude & surface winds, haven’t seen mention of nearby reports.
 
sourdough44 said:
I can just imaging the serious ‘lag’ in climbing when ‘adding power’ with balloon piloting. Like other forms of propulsion, density altitude could also be an issue. I’ve never flown one, just backing up to the stated power line strike. They seemed rather high when falling?

I didn’t see extended video footage. Is it possible that as the potential strike was imminent, bookoo power was added, still hit the wires(lag), then started the climb in a damaged state?

Another factor to consider is the low altitude & surface winds, haven’t seen mention of nearby reports.
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The video showing the balloon up high: the basket had already separated. That was the balloon on its own.
 
sourdough44 said:
I can just imaging the serious ‘lag’ in climbing when ‘adding power’ with balloon piloting. Like other forms of propulsion, density altitude could also be an issue. I’ve never flown one, just backing up to the stated power line strike. They seemed rather high when falling?

I didn’t see extended video footage. Is it possible that as the potential strike was imminent, bookoo power was added, still hit the wires(lag), then started the climb in a damaged state?

Another factor to consider is the low altitude & surface winds, haven’t seen mention of nearby reports.
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Disclaimer: I have a whopping 2 hours of balloon time. Maybe 3.

Yes, there is a very significant lag. It's something around 9 seconds as I recall from the time you add heat to the time you start to see a climb. The concept of being behind the aircraft is completely different from fixed or rotor-wing.

While I am sorry to hear that @Zeldman knew two of those who died in this crash, I was relieved to see that @tonycondon wasn't listed, as he's been going to ABQ to work on his balloon rating lately.
 
Zeldman said:
Turns out I know 2 of the folks that were killed.

We were members of the same church here in Gallup until John and Susan moved to ABQ to pursue better employment opportunities.
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Very sad. My sympathies to family and friends.
 
I came very close to a midair with a balloon shortly after liftoff about 25 years ago. Not sure how I missed a balloon crossing the runway left to right at 300 feet or so. I don't think he had a radio as I announced my TO and never heard a reply from them.

I asked the FBO upon return why they don't announce balloon operations, they said sometimes they do but not always.

Sad to hear about this mishap, and sorry to hear about the friends you lost Billy
 
Ok, so the ballon video was mostly the balloon itself, after the basket was off. That could explain why it looked so high. I just skim through the headlines most of the time.

We could still back up to the initial collision with the power lines. It’s a tragic event no doubt.
 
AKBill said:
I came very close to a midair with a balloon shortly after liftoff about 25 years ago. Not sure how I missed a balloon crossing the runway left to right at 300 feet or so. I don't think he had a radio as I announced my TO and never heard a reply from them.
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Balloons have no electrical system, so if there is any radio it's a handheld, which they're not required to have at a non-towered airport. So yeah, he probably had no radio and didn't hear you.
 
sourdough44 said:
Ok, so the ballon video was mostly the balloon itself, after the basket was off. That could explain why it looked so high. I just skim through the headlines most of the time.
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Back in 2005 balloonists Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer Davis were competing in the Gordon Bennett Cup when they encountered a sudden front and thunderstorms. The balloon rapidly lost altitude, and became entangled in power lines some 40 feet above the ground.

Richard was thrown from the gondola, and suffered serious injuries in the fall. The balloon, relieved of his weight, was freed from the lines, and Carol landed it some ten miles away.

It took almost a year for Richard to recover. The next year he and Carol returned to the race, and won it in convincing fashion. Tragically, Richard and Carol lost their lives in 2010 when their balloon entered a severe storm over the Adriatic Sea and crashed.

He was a great balloonist and a fantastic person. It was hard to accept another tragedy visited on the Abruzzo family. Rest easy, buddy.
 
flightwriter said:
Well, this ain't good (it may also not even be causal, but...)

Pilot in deadly Albuquerque hot air balloon crash had marijuana, cocaine in his system

https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-new...ijuana-cocaine-in-his-system/6245191/?cat=500
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Serious question -- does cocaine impair one's judgement in a way that might interfere with piloting something like a balloon (or aircraft)? I was of the belief that it sped you up, but otherwise didn't mess with faculties. I have no personal experience with the stuff.
 
schmookeeg said:
Serious question -- does cocaine impair one's judgement in a way that might interfere with piloting something like a balloon (or aircraft)? I was of the belief that it sped you up, but otherwise didn't mess with faculties. I have no personal experience with the stuff.
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I would imagine some affects would not be conducive to good judgement...
From a drug website:
Cocaine increases alertness, feelings of well-being, euphoria, energy, sociability, and sexuality.
 
tawood said:
I would imagine some affects would not be conducive to good judgement...
From a drug website:
Cocaine increases alertness, feelings of well-being, euphoria, energy, sociability, and sexuality.
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Yeah, those all sound bad. :)
 
schmookeeg said:
Serious question -- does cocaine impair one's judgement in a way that might interfere with piloting something like a balloon (or aircraft)? I was of the belief that it sped you up, but otherwise didn't mess with faculties. I have no personal experience with the stuff.
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In the 2012 movie "Flight" with Denzel Washington it seems to show that it was BECAUSE he was using cocaine that he was able to crash the airliner so well. "Nobody could've landed that plan like I did." Denzel

Is Albuquerque like Portland where it's legal to posses small amounts of hard drugs?
 
topgun260 said:
In the 2012 movie "Flight" with Denzel Washington it seems to show that it was BECAUSE he was using cocaine that he was able to crash the airliner so well. "Nobody could've landed that plan like I did." Denzel

Is Albuquerque like Portland where it's legal to posses small amounts of hard drugs?
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"Flight" was a work of fiction.

And Albuquerque is like Portland in that the FAA doesn't care what the local laws say.
 
Are you saying the FAA could have stopped this?
 
topgun260 said:
Are you saying the FAA could have stopped this?
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No.

I'm saying the FAA doesn't care what the local drug laws might be. Had the pilot survived, citing local laws wouldn't have been a defense against the enforcement action that would follow.
 
For years, commercial balloon ops have mostly flown under the radar, literally and figuratively, from a regulatory standpoint. Needless to say, between this and the Lockhart TX accident, commercial balloon safety has caught the attention of the FAA.
 
While that is true, It doesn't seem that the pilot cared what the FAA thinks. He clearly had his reasons to use. Maybe he thought they gave him an edge flying the balloon? Maybe the social culture in Albuquerque made it seem acceptable to him to use? We will probably never know.
 
Brad Z said:
For years, commercial balloon ops have mostly flown under the radar, literally and figuratively, from a regulatory standpoint. Needless to say, between this and the Lockhart TX accident, commercial balloon safety has caught the attention of the FAA.
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Looking forward to the "8 hours from bump to blimp" educational campaign THAT will generate. :rolleyes:
 
RyanB said:
and all five people onboard were fatally injured
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damn, that sucks

I've taken two hot air balloon rides. Hated them each time, and both times the 'pilot' seemed like an aloof clown who has no real business doing what he was doing
 
Final report released.


No surprises.

The accident pilot and his balloon were used as contracted labor by Hot Air Balloonatics, LLC,when they had excess passengers to fly. Hot Air Balloonatics LLC, would refer the passengersto him and he would operate independently, in accordance with his own LLC’s procedures.

Probable Cause and Findings
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:The failure of the pilot to maintain adequate clearance from power lines while maneuvering forlanding. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s use of impairing, illicit drugs.​
​
Postmortem toxicology testing of specimens from the pilot was consistent with the recent useof cannabis (THC) and cocaine. The pilot’s cavity blood THC concentration was detected at 5.5ng/mL, suggesting that usage was within the last few hours. Some impairing effects of THCwould likely have been present that would have affected the pilot’s ability to successfullyoperate the balloon. Cocaine was detected in blood and urine at levels that suggested recentuse. At the time of the accident, the impairing effects of the pilot’s use of THC and cocainelikely contributed to the accident.​
 
ElPaso Pilot said:
Postmortem toxicology testing of specimens from the pilot was consistent with the recent useof cannabis (THC) and cocaine. The pilot’s cavity blood THC concentration was detected at 5.5ng/mL, suggesting that usage was within the last few hours. Some impairing effects of THCwould likely have been present that would have affected the pilot’s ability to successfullyoperate the balloon. Cocaine was detected in blood and urine at levels that suggested recentuse. At the time of the accident, the impairing effects of the pilot’s use of THC and cocainelikely contributed to the accident.
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Infuriating.

Pot use never killed anyone, why is it illegal.??

It was just a little pot and coke, what harm could that cause.??

This is why we do not need to ''lighten up'' on those that have or have had drug and alcohol problems in the past .

I am 98% sure this pilot was into balloons because of the lack of needing a medical and drug testing, and didn't care about rules.
 
Zeldman said:
Infuriating.

Pot use never killed anyone, why is it illegal.??

It was just a little pot and coke, what harm could that cause.??

This is why we do not need to ''lighten up'' on those that have or have had drug and alcohol problems in the past .

I am 98% sure this pilot was into balloons because of the lack of needing a medical and drug testing, and didn't care about rules.
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They said iPads never killed anyone and look at that … can’t “lighten up” on these crazy iPaders either ..


appleinsider.com

Dropped iPad is the likely cause of a fatal helicopter crash

The National Transportation Safety Board has found significant evidence that an iPad likely caused a fatal helicopter crash in Idaho in 2022.
appleinsider.com appleinsider.com
 
Warmi said:
They said iPads never killed anyone and look at that … can’t “lighten up” on these crazy iPaders either ..


appleinsider.com

Dropped iPad is the likely cause of a fatal helicopter crash

The National Transportation Safety Board has found significant evidence that an iPad likely caused a fatal helicopter crash in Idaho in 2022.
appleinsider.com appleinsider.com
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This post is mentioned on a Wikipedia page titled "False Equivalence."

A false equivalence or false equivalency is an informal fallacy in which an equivalence is drawn between two subjects based on flawed or false reasoning. This fallacy is categorized as a fallacy of inconsistency.
 
3393RP said:
This post is mentioned on a Wikipedia page titled "False Equivalence."

A false equivalence or false equivalency is an informal fallacy in which an equivalence is drawn between two subjects based on flawed or false reasoning. This fallacy is categorized as a fallacy of inconsistency.
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Well, I could just as well link your post to a random but “scholarly” sounding wiki page or such but I am just way too lazy …..
The point was that If you look long enough you will always find somebody somewhere doing something stupid and if you are skilled in the fine art of ********ing, perhaps even generate some plausible sounding moral panic around it but …. just as we don’t have an epidemic of people crashing their planes due to iPad intoxication, we have very, very few potheads crashing their planes and I seriously doubt this is due to FAA being the gatekeeper and the only thing standing between us and hordes of potheads attempting to get their pilot certificates …
 
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