N3636Z

On October 13, 2001, at 0755 mountain daylight time, an Aerostar Raven S57-A hot-air balloon, N3636Z, was substantially damaged when it collided with a building during landing near Albuquerque, New Mexico. The balloon was registered to and operated by private individuals. The private pilot and one passenger sustained minor injuries, and one passenger sustained a serious injury. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The flight originated from the Balloon Fiesta Park, at 0740.

The pilot reported to the FAA inspector that the intended flight was to be short; however, after takeoff, the wind increased and the balloon over flew the intended landing area. The pilot then selected a field at the Del Norte High School in which to land. The field had wires along its edge. As the balloon was clearing the wires, the pilot vented the balloon, but the balloon continued to float past the field, impacting a wooden telephone post located near a building. The balloon rotated, struck the building, and came to rest with its basket on a fence. The balloon's envelope, basket, and basket uprights were damaged.

The pilot reported that at the time of the accident, the wind had increased to approximately 30 knots with gusts to 35 knots.

At 0750, the Albuquerque International Sunport Airport (ABQ), located approximately 7 miles southeast of the accident site, reported the wind from 010 degrees at 10 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, sky clear, temperature 7 degrees C, dew point -13 degrees C, altimeter 30.01 inches of mercury (Hg).