1996-08 · NASA ASRS report 343070
A HOT AIR BALLOON WITH AN ADVERTISING LOGO FLEW IN CLOSE PROX TO A SPECIAL INTEREST AIRSHOW ACTIVITY WITHOUT BEING PROPERLY ENTERED IN THE EVENT. SEE ACN 343074.
THERE WAS A BALLOON RACE IN PITTSBURGH. OUR BALLOON WAS NOT A SPONSOR AND SO; NOT IN THE RACE. I USED A LAUNCH SITE ACROSS THE RIVER FROM THE RACE SITE (ABOUT 2000 FT). I WAITED TILL MOST OF THE BALLOONS HAD LAUNCHED UNTIL I LAUNCHED. I CLBED STEADILY TO 2500 FT MSL TO BE ABOVE THE STRUCTURES OF DOWNTOWN. I FLEW BEHIND THE PACK EVENTUALLY DSNDING CLOSE TO A BRIDGE AND LNDG NEXT TO AN ALREADY DEFLATED BALLOON. IT WAS A NORMAL FLT. THE ONLY PROB IS THE RACE ORGANIZER IS A LAWYER WHO DIDN'T MAKE MONEY BY ME FLYING. I WOULD EXPECT HIM TO RPT ME FOR SOME IMAGINED INFRACTION. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR WAS FLYING A CORPORATE LOGO BALLOON IN THE VICINITY OF; BUT NOT ENTERED IN; THE RACE. THE CONFLICT THAT HE MENTIONS WAS A BALLOON THAT HE LANDED NEAR; THERE WAS NO CONFLICT IN THE AIR. AN ACROBATIC AIRPLANE CAME APART IN THE AIR DURING THE EVENT; KILLING ITS PLT. THE RPTR BELIEVES THAT A LITTLE MATTER OF A NON-PARTICIPATING BALLOON WAS FORGOTTEN. HE HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED BY ANYONE REGARDING THIS INCIDENT. 2 SETS OF HRS OF OP OF THE EVENT WERE PUBLISHED SO THAT PLTS NOT ENTERED IN THE EVENT COULD PICK THE HRS THAT THEY WANTED TO HAVE THE RESTR APPLY. THIS WAS A FAULTY CONVERSION OF ZULU TIME TO LCL TIME.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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