Piccard AX-6 accident near Gaithersburg, Maryland, June 6, 1987
On June 6, 1987 at about 11:21 am local time, a Piccard AX-6 (balloon), registered N2496Z, was destroyed in an accident near Gaithersburg, Maryland. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 6, 1987 · about 11:21 am local time
- Place
- Gaithersburg, Maryland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piccard AX-6 · all AX-6s on the register
- Registration
- N2496Z · no longer on the register · serial 496
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TWO ABORTED LANDINGS THE PILOT SAW A FIELD IN THE DISTANCE AND ATTEMPTED TO LAND. ALTHOUGH TWO OTHER BALLOONS HAD LANDED NEARBY, THE FIELD HE WAS BLOWN TOWARDS HAD NUMEROUS POWERLINES SURROUNDING IT, SOME OF THEM AT TREETOP HEIGHT. DURING THE APPROACH FOR LANDING THE BALLOON CONTACTED A 69,000 VOLT POWERLINE, CAUGHT FIRE AND EXPLODED AFTER GROUND CONTACT.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 55 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 175 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 14, 1987; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,350 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Germantown MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:52 am from BWI, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.