Avian Balloon MAGNUM IX accident near Driggs, Idaho, July 6, 1992
On July 6, 1992 at about 3:35 pm local time, a Avian Balloon MAGNUM IX, registered N1613B, was destroyed in an accident near Driggs, Idaho. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT IN COMMAND'S FAILURE TO INSURE ADEQUATE CLEARANCE. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: WEATHER CONDITION (DOWNDRAFT) AND OBJECT (TRANSMISSION WIRES).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 6, 1992 · about 3:35 pm local time
- Place
- Driggs, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Avian Balloon MAGNUM IX · all MAGNUM IXs on the register
- Registration
- N1613B · no longer on the register · serial 154
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE EXECUTING A LANDING IN A FIELD THE PILOT IN COMMAND OF THE PART 91 BALLOON FLIGHT DESCENDED TO 60 FEET AGL IN THE VICINITY OF ELECTRICAL TRANSMISSION LINES. JUST BEFORE CROSSING THE LINES THE BALLOON SUDDENLY DESCENDED TO 30 AGL FEET. THE PILOT IN COMMAND ELECTED TO STRIKE THE WIRES AS HE BELIEVED THAT AN ASCENT OVER THE WIRES WAS NOT POSSIBLE. DURING THE WIRE STRIKE AND LANDING, A FIRE DEVELOPED WHICH CONSUMED BOTH THE BALLOON AND GONDOLA.
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
- Flight time: 1,961 hours in all; 1,734 in this make and model; 67 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 1,914 as pilot in command; 47 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 346 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 5, 1992; 66 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: W.G.E., INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:49 pm from IDA, 43 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.