HOT AIR BALLOON GRAZED A HANGAR DURING LNDG. THE HANGAR WAS DAMAGED. RPTR SUSPECTS A DOWNDRAFT FROM 10 KT WIND OVER THE HANGAR CAUSED HIS UNPLANNED STEEP DSCNT.

Date: 1997-03 · Aircraft: Balloon

Anomalies: inflight-event-encounter-loss-of-aircraft-control|inflight-event-encounter-other-unknown

Synopsis

HOT AIR BALLOON GRAZED A HANGAR DURING LNDG. THE HANGAR WAS DAMAGED. RPTR SUSPECTS A DOWNDRAFT FROM 10 KT WIND OVER THE HANGAR CAUSED HIS UNPLANNED STEEP DSCNT.

Narrative

DURING FLT; THE WIND PICKED UP AND WHEN I ASKED THE TWR WHAT THE SURFACE WIND WAS; THEY RPTED 10 KTS FROM THE NNW. SINCE IN MY EXPERIENCE THE WINDS SELDOM DIE DOWN AS THE MORNING PROGRESSES; I ANNOUNCED TO THE TWR THAT; BECAUSE OF SAFETY CONCERNS; I WAS GOING TO PUT THE ACFT DOWN. I WAS AT THE FAR EASTERN EDGE OF THE ARPT TO THE E OF THE CTL TWR. MY LAST CHANCE TO LAND AT THE ARPT WAS ON A GRASSY AREA TO THE E OF RWY 32. MY GLIDE PATH WAS NECESSARILY QUITE SHALLOW AND CROSSED OVER A SHEET METAL HANGAR. THE BUILDING APPARENTLY CAUSED A DISTURBANCE IN THE WIND FLOW OVER THE BUILDING WHICH CAUSED A DOWNDRAFT ENOUGH TO HAVE THE BOTTOM OF THE BASKET TOUCH THE METAL ROOF OF THE HANGAR. THE IMPACT CAUSED VERY SLIGHT DAMAGE IN THE FORM OF 2 SHALLOW DENTS CAUSED BY THE SKIDS OF THE BALLOON AND A 3 OR 4 INCH LONG SEPARATION OF THE JOINT BTWN 2 ADJACENT SHEET METAL PANELS. EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A HIGH WIND; DOGHOUSE LNDG; THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO EITHER 2 PAX OR THE PLT AND THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE ACFT.

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