2 balloons collide at liftoff at 81CA, ca.

Attributes
ACN	478888
Time
Date	200007
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
State Reference	CA
Altitude	agl bound lower : 1000 agl bound upper : 1100
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : lga.tower
Operator	common carrier : charter
Make Model Name	Balloon
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	climbout : initial
Route In Use	departure : vfr
Flight Plan	None
Aircraft 2
Operator	common carrier : charter
Make Model Name	Balloon
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	climbout : initial
Route In Use	departure : vfr
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	company : charter
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 15 flight time total : 1456 flight time type : 300
ASRS Report	478888
Person 2
Affiliation	company : charter
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : commercial
Events
Anomaly	conflict : airborne critical inflight encounter other maintenance problem : improper maintenance non adherence : far non adherence : required legal separation other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa other flight crewb
Resolutory Action	flight crew : landed as precaution
Consequence	other other
Miss Distance	horizontal : 0 vertical : 0
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Environmental Factor Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Basket contacted envelope of the balloon. No damage to mine, but some damage to upper 4 panels in other balloon. Lower balloon had moved under upper balloon and radio contact was not kept. To prevent recurrence, establish radio contact 'before' liftoff and during just few mins of flight. Problem happened in just 5 mins -- upper balloon was observing balloons that had taken off before and not observing the launching balloon.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: 2 BALLOONS COLLIDE AT LIFTOFF AT 81CA, CA.

Narrative: BASKET CONTACTED ENVELOPE OF THE BALLOON. NO DAMAGE TO MINE, BUT SOME DAMAGE TO UPPER 4 PANELS IN OTHER BALLOON. LOWER BALLOON HAD MOVED UNDER UPPER BALLOON AND RADIO CONTACT WAS NOT KEPT. TO PREVENT RECURRENCE, ESTABLISH RADIO CONTACT 'BEFORE' LIFTOFF AND DURING JUST FEW MINS OF FLT. PROB HAPPENED IN JUST 5 MINS -- UPPER BALLOON WAS OBSERVING BALLOONS THAT HAD TAKEN OFF BEFORE AND NOT OBSERVING THE LAUNCHING BALLOON.

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.