Aerostar S-66A accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, October 8, 2007
On October 8, 2007 at about 1:42 pm local time, a Aerostar S-66A (balloon), registered N7179Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate visual lookout and clearance resulting in an in-flight collision with power lines, and the ground crew's improper assistance. Contributing to this accident were the high wind, the pilot's diverted attention, low altitude, transmission wire, and the subsequent partial failure of the basket and envelope.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 2007 · about 1:42 pm local time
- Place
- Albuquerque, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerostar S-66A
- Registration
- N7179Z · no longer on the register · serial S66A-3060
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The hot air free balloon was participating in a balloon fiesta. Wind velocity had increased, and several balloons were seen to go by at high speed and low altitude. The pilot stayed low to keep right of the congested areas, but two of his passengers said they were flying too low. The pilot became distracted when he saw another balloon hit a house. The next thing he realized was that the wind had forced the balloon into power lines (the pilot told state troopers that he saw the power lines and activated the burners in an attempt to fly over them, but he told the FAA that he was on a landing approach and was in visual contact with the power line when he encountered a downdraft and was unable to clear the power lines). The balloon's basket struck the top static line of a 3-phase high voltage transmission line. The wind began to collapse the envelope and the pilot activated the burners in an attempt to maintain inflation and break loose from the power line. The basket slid down the wire and the wire became entangled in the basket's skid plate. The pilot threw a drop line to his chase crew in hopes they could pull him free. This attempt failed. The chase crew then attached the drop line to a pickup truck and tried to tow the balloon free. This attempt also failed. The braided static wire sawed through the wicker basket. The balloon finally came loose from the power line and started to rise. The drop line broke and the balloon "shot up in the air like a rocket." A propane tank fell from the basket, and then the passenger fell out. Estimates of the balloon's altitude varied from 70 to 200 feet. The pilot felt one corner of the basket drop and saw the hole. He looked up through the balloon's throat and could see blue sky because the dilation vent had become unseated. The balloon drifted east, and then descended. The pilot said the balloon came down faster than terminal descent speed and landed hard.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: balloon
- Medical certificate: None
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 438 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2007; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Albuquerque NM
- Destination: NONE
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.30 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 pm from ABQ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 | 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.
Other NTSB records under N7179Z the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.