BALLOON PLT RPTS ON 3 SEPARATE RPTS REGARDING FLT. FIRST; THE FLT WAS OPERATED WITHOUT A CERTIFICATE OF AIRWORTHINESS; SECOND; APPENDICES FAILED TO VENT HELIUM AND HELIUM VALVE DIDN'T FUNCTION CAUSING THE GAS CELL BOTTOM TO BURST AND THIRD; EMER DECLARED AS BALLOON ASCENDED TO FL235 CONFLICTING WITH OTHER TFC. RPTR WAS ABLE TO LAND BALLOON; BUT HIT SOME IRRIGATION PIPES.

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ABC BALLOONS PROVIDED A LETTER STATING THAT A UNITED KINGDOM CERTIFICATE OF AIRWORTHINESS HAD BEEN APPLIED FOR AND WAS FORTHCOMING. THE FLT WAS MADE WITHOUT A CERTIFICATE OF AIRWORTHINESS ON BOARD AND IT HAS BEEN DISCOVERED THAT NO CERTIFICATE OF AIRWORTHINESS HAD BEEN APPLIED FOR OR ISSUED. THE FLT WAS THEREFORE MADE WITH NO CERTIFICATE OF AIRWORTHINESS. FURTHER; THE CAPSULE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE INCLUDED IN THE CERTIFICATE OF AIRWORTHINESS; ALTHOUGH BUILT IN THE UNITED STATES. THE BALLOON COULD HAVE BEEN ISSUED AN EXPERIMENTAL AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE IF THE MANUFACTURER HAD INFORMED THE PLT OF THE STATUS OF THE STANDARD CERTIFICATE OF AIRWORTHINESS. AS THE BALLOON ROSE TO ITS NATURAL CEILING; THE APPENDICES FAILED TO VENT HELIUM. WHEN ACTUATED; THE HELIUM VALVE ALSO APPEARED TO NOT FUNCTION. AT APPROX FL210 THE GAS CELL BOTTOM BURST. THE BURNERS AND BACKUPS WERE TURNED ON. AN EMER WAS DECLARED AND THE PLT PARACHUTE WAS DONNED. THE BALLOON WAS FLOWN FOR APPROX 2 HRS UNTIL OVER A SPARSELY POPULATED AREA AND WAS LANDED. UPON LNDG; IT WAS FOUND THAT THE RIP SYS WOULD NOT FUNCTION AND THE BALLOON DRAGGED INTO AN IRRIGATION PIPE. IT IS BELIEVED THAT ALL OF THE ABOVE WAS CAUSED BY MANUFACTURER'S DESIGN ERRORS. AFTER DECLARING AN EMER AND OPERATING THE BURNERS IN FULL EMER MODE; THE BALLOON ASCENDED BEYOND FL235 BEFORE A DSCNT WAS INITIATED. THIS WAS ABOVE THE ASSIGNED ALT LIMIT OF FL230 AND MAY HAVE TRIGGERED REROUTING OF OTHER ACFT. AFTER THE BALLOON RUPTURED (AT APPROX FL210) IT WAS NOT KNOWN IF IT COULD BE FLOWN IN STABLE FLT. ONCE THE ASCENT WAS NOTED; THE BURNERS WERE TURNED OFF AND THE BALLOON PEAKED AT PLUS FL235.