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Hot air balloon grazed a hangar during landing. The hangar was damaged. Reporter suspects a downdraft from 10 KT wind over the hangar caused his unplanned steep descent.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 362577 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199703 |
| Day | Sat |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : sts |
| State Reference | CA |
| Altitude | agl bound lower : 50 agl bound upper : 50 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tower : sts |
| Operator | general aviation : personal |
| Make Model Name | Balloon |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | descent : approach landing other |
| Flight Plan | VFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | Other |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Qualification | pilot : cfi pilot : commercial |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 6 flight time total : 2600 flight time type : 6 |
| ASRS Report | 362577 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | government : faa |
| Function | controller : local |
| Qualification | controller : non radar |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | inflight encounter other other anomaly |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : unable |
| Consequence | Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | other |
Narrative:
During flight, the wind picked up and when I asked the tower what the surface wind was, they reported 10 KTS from the nnw. Since in my experience the winds seldom die down as the morning progresses, I announced to the tower that, because of safety concerns, I was going to put the aircraft down. I was at the far eastern edge of the airport to the east of the control tower. My last chance to land at the airport was on a grassy area to the east of runway 32. My glide path was necessarily quite shallow and crossed over a sheet metal hangar. The building apparently caused a disturbance in the wind flow over the building which caused a downdraft enough to have the bottom of the basket touch the metal roof of the hangar. The impact caused very slight damage in the form of 2 shallow dents caused by the skids of the balloon and a 3 or 4 inch long separation of the joint between 2 adjacent sheet metal panels. Even though it was a high wind, doghouse landing, there were no injuries to either 2 passenger or the pilot and there was no damage to the aircraft.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: HOT AIR BALLOON GRAZED A HANGAR DURING LNDG. THE HANGAR WAS DAMAGED. RPTR SUSPECTS A DOWNDRAFT FROM 10 KT WIND OVER THE HANGAR CAUSED HIS UNPLANNED STEEP DSCNT.
Narrative: DURING FLT, THE WIND PICKED UP AND WHEN I ASKED THE TWR WHAT THE SURFACE WIND WAS, THEY RPTED 10 KTS FROM THE NNW. SINCE IN MY EXPERIENCE THE WINDS SELDOM DIE DOWN AS THE MORNING PROGRESSES, I ANNOUNCED TO THE TWR THAT, BECAUSE OF SAFETY CONCERNS, I WAS GOING TO PUT THE ACFT DOWN. I WAS AT THE FAR EASTERN EDGE OF THE ARPT TO THE E OF THE CTL TWR. MY LAST CHANCE TO LAND AT THE ARPT WAS ON A GRASSY AREA TO THE E OF RWY 32. MY GLIDE PATH WAS NECESSARILY QUITE SHALLOW AND CROSSED OVER A SHEET METAL HANGAR. THE BUILDING APPARENTLY CAUSED A DISTURBANCE IN THE WIND FLOW OVER THE BUILDING WHICH CAUSED A DOWNDRAFT ENOUGH TO HAVE THE BOTTOM OF THE BASKET TOUCH THE METAL ROOF OF THE HANGAR. THE IMPACT CAUSED VERY SLIGHT DAMAGE IN THE FORM OF 2 SHALLOW DENTS CAUSED BY THE SKIDS OF THE BALLOON AND A 3 OR 4 INCH LONG SEPARATION OF THE JOINT BTWN 2 ADJACENT SHEET METAL PANELS. EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A HIGH WIND, DOGHOUSE LNDG, THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO EITHER 2 PAX OR THE PLT AND THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE ACFT.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.