A HOT AIR BALLOON PLT WAS ASKED TO FLY ON BY A LIVESTOCK OWNER. THE LIVESTOCK WAS HIDDEN IN TREES.

Date: 1996-09 · Aircraft: Balloon

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far

Synopsis

A HOT AIR BALLOON PLT WAS ASKED TO FLY ON BY A LIVESTOCK OWNER. THE LIVESTOCK WAS HIDDEN IN TREES.

Narrative

LAUNCHED BALLOON FROM MWO AT XA04 AM. APPROX 35 MINS INTO FLT; PASSED OVER EDGE OF RIDGE DROPPING OVER 250 FT INTO VALLEY OF ELK CREEK. DSNDED INTO VALLEY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF DRAINAGE WIND WHICH WOULD PROVIDE A L TURN (SOUTHERLY). DRAINAGE WIND WAS PROVIDING A L TURN OF NEARLY 90 DEGS AND I SAW A LARGE FIELD APPROX 3/4 MI AWAY WHICH I DECIDED TO LAND IN. BALLOON WAS IN 250-300 FPM DSCNT AS I HAD DROPPED INTO VALLEY. SLOWED DSCNT TO APPROX 100 FPM AND WAS LINING UP APCH TO FIELD. AT THIS POINT; I WAS APPROX 250 FT AGL; ON APCH TO LAND. I WAS PASSING OVER A HOUSE APPROX 1/4 MI FROM MY INTENDED LNDG SITE WHEN THE LANDOWNER CAME OUTSIDE AND YELLED AT ME TO CLB OUT OF THE AREA. LANDOWNER POINTED BEHIND HIM AND HIDDEN BEHIND THE TREELINE WAS A PEN OF LIVESTOCK. I INITIATED AN IMMEDIATE CLB TO CLR THE AREA. I WAS APPROX 150-200 FT AGL AT THE TIME I INITIATED THE CLB. ONCE CLB RATE WAS ESTABLISHED; I RADIOED A SECOND BALLOON; WHICH HAD BEEN BEHIND ME; STILL ABOVE THE VALLEY; NOT TO DSND INTO THE VALLEY DUE TO THE LIVESTOCK. DUE TO MY FLT PATH; MY VIEW OF THE LIVESTOCK WAS AT LEAST PARTIALLY OBSCURED BY THE TREELINE UNTIL I WAS PARALLEL WITH THE PEN. THE ONLY JUDGEMENT OR DECISION THAT I FEEL MAY BE QUESTIONED WAS MY ALT OVER PROPERTY ON THE SURFACE. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT I WAS IN VIOLATION OF ANY FAR; AS I WAS ON APCH TO LAND. I USE A COPY OF A TOPOGRAPHIC MAP THAT INDICATES LOCATIONS OF LIVESTOCK AND OTHER SENSITIVE PROPERTIES. THIS INFO IS GATHERED AND SHARED BY LCL BALLOON PLTS. THIS PARTICULAR AREA WAS NOT INDICATED AS BEING 'SENSITIVE' TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE. I HAVE MARKED IT AS SUCH ON MY MAP; AND HAVE INFORMED OTHER LCL PLTS OF THE LOCATION; SO THEY WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO AVOID IT. WX BRIEFING OBTAINED THROUGH DUAT; ALSO THROUGH DAYTON FSS.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.