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Extra pilot reported maneuvering around hot air balloons near the destination airport led to fuel starvation on final approach.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1594294 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201811 |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601-1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Extra 200/300 Series |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Landing |
| Route In Use | Visual Approach |
| Flight Plan | VFR |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Make Model Name | Balloon |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Engine |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Single Pilot |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Private |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 45 Flight Crew Total 240 Flight Crew Type 80 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | ATC Issue All Types Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Conflict Airborne Conflict Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy Inflight Event / Encounter Unstabilized Approach Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue |
| Miss Distance | Horizontal 1500 |
Narrative:
There was a NOTAM for balloons in the vicinity but not one that said there would be balloons surrounding the airport making it impossible to land. Not just a few balloons but [almost one hundred] to be exact. I had to make unusual attitudes to land to avoid collision with any balloons. My wing tanks couldn't take the unusual attitudes and my engine quit just a few hundred feet from the ground. I had to make a quick landing and avoid the balloons.just as a note: I started making position calls 25 miles out; and every 5 miles to 10 and then each mile. Not one of the [many dozens of] balloons replied. I know the frequency was good and my radio was good; because the ground crew at the FBO came out to watch me land dead stick. They then complemented me on the landing. To launch [close to a hundred] balloons all along the perimeter of the airport fence and not make appropriate notice is asking for an accident. I fueled and departed and notified several other aircraft in the vicinity and of the congestion and understatement of the NOTAM and they diverted.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: Extra pilot reported maneuvering around hot air balloons near the destination airport led to fuel starvation on final approach.
Narrative: There was a NOTAM for balloons in the vicinity but not one that said there would be balloons surrounding the airport making it impossible to land. Not just a few balloons but [almost one hundred] to be exact. I had to make unusual attitudes to land to avoid collision with any balloons. My wing tanks couldn't take the unusual attitudes and my engine quit just a few hundred feet from the ground. I had to make a quick landing and avoid the balloons.Just as a note: I started making position calls 25 miles out; and every 5 miles to 10 and then each mile. Not one of the [many dozens of] balloons replied. I know the frequency was good and my radio was good; because the ground crew at the FBO came out to watch me land dead stick. They then complemented me on the landing. To launch [close to a hundred] balloons all along the perimeter of the airport fence and not make appropriate notice is asking for an accident. I fueled and departed and notified several other aircraft in the vicinity and of the congestion and understatement of the NOTAM and they diverted.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.