Site Map | Archives

Home › › Balloon Fiesta

Balloon Fiesta events resume after death of California woman

Tribune reporter Sue Vorenberg and the North County (Calif.) Times contributed to this report.
Originally published 07:20 a.m., October 9, 2007
Updated 01:26 p.m., October 9, 2007

Power line safety

Public Service Company of New Mexico issues cards to pilots at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta offering guidelines on how to avoid power lines, and what to do if they hit one.

Here are some of the tips:

• When launching, take notice of nearby power lines and be aware of the amount of lift needed to clear them safely. PNM suggests pilots should be 100 feet horizontally from the power line for every mile per hour of wind speed. So if the wind speed is 4 mph, the pilot should be 400 feet horizontally away from the line.

• When flying, pilots should assume there will be power lines in the vicinity of roads and should be advised to look out for obstacles around the balloon.

• Pilots are told never to land near power lines, particularly in front of them.

• Visibility can be an issue due to the reflection of the sun, so it is important that balloonists look for supporting structures such as poles.

• If the envelope of the balloon comes into contact with a power line, pilots are directed to shut off all fuel tanks and remain in the center of the basket, away from anything metallic. Balloonists should not attempt to remove the balloon from the power lines.

• PNM will work with the balloonists and law enforcement officials to rescue balloonists.

• If a fire or other emergency occurs, balloonists should resort to jumping clear of the basket without touching the ground and the basket at the same time.

Source: PNM

related linksMore Balloon Fiesta
related linksMOST RECENT TRIB STORIES

related linksTRIB IN THE BLOGOSPHERE*

*Note: The Tribune does not create and is not responsible for the blogosphere's headlines and stories. These links to blogs talking about ABQTrib.com are automatically generated. Use them at your own risk.
STORY TOOLS

SHARE THIS STORY [?]

Despite a horrific incident that claimed a California woman's life and two other crashes today in which balloon passengers were injured, Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta officials insist the sport is relatively safe and say the tragedy hasn't deterred interest in the annual event.

Only 16 out of 280 people with reservations for balloon rides this morning decided to forego their rides with Rainbow Ryders, company president Scott Appelman said.

While that is a higher than normal no-show rate, it is still low, Appelman said.

Balloons launched normally this morning. Winds carried many to Rio Rancho, where two balloons suffered hard landings, fiesta spokeswoman Kathie Leyendecker said.

One woman was injured during a landing at 8:20 a.m. near Loma Colorada and High Resort boulevards. Two women were injured in another hard landing at 8:48 a.m. near Santa Ana and Kim roads. All three injured passengers were transported to the University of New Mexico Hospital, Leyendecker said.

Paul Smith, the fiesta's executive director, said after Monday's fatal accident that he expected all fiesta events to continue as normal.

"In no way does this diminish the tragedy of what has happened here today (Monday)," he said.

Dozens of people witnessed - and photographed - Oceanside, Calif., resident Rosemary W. Phillips, 60, falling out of the hot-air balloon Heavenly Ride, which had become ensnared in a utility line near Monta¤o Road Northeast and I-25 early Monday morning.

A fiesta official said Sandia Park pilot Tom Reyes, with 30 years' experience, had tossed a tether to a crowd of people on the ground below in an attempt to free the gondola.

Witnesses took photographs or video and reported different versions of what happened next. Some said the balloon's gondola appeared to have torn open; an amateur video shown on KRQE News 13 suggests the propane fuel bottle blew out of the gondola, spewing gas all the way to the ground.

Then the tether snapped, launching the balloon upward and tossing Phillips - part of a group of four friends - overboard. She fell 50 or more feet to the ground.

Witnesses reported seeing Phillips flailing her arms and hearing her yell as she fell.

The National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration and State Police are investigating the incident.

Phillips' friends, Cheri Dias, 70, Doris Currier, 52, and Susan Simpson, 57, all from the San Diego area, were injured when the balloon landed near Vassar Drive and Comanche Road Northeast, less than a mile south of the spot where Phillips was ejected, State Police spokesman Andrew Tingwall said.

Two of the women suffered broken legs and the third woman had scrapes. Reyes was not seriously injured.

Dias and Simpson on Monday evening were receiving treatment at the University of New Mexico Hospital. Currier was treated and released, hospital spokesman Sam Giammo said.

The four friends had purchased spots in Reyes' balloon through Rainbow Ryders, an Albuquerque ballooning company.

According to Rainbow Ryders' and the fiesta's Web sites, balloon rides during the fiesta cost about $325 per person. During nonfestival times, Rainbow Ryders and other ballooning companies offer rides for about $160 per person.

Rainbow Ryders owner Scott Appelman said the balloon fiesta contracts with his company to provide rides. He, in turn, contracts with 42 pilots with a carrying capacity of 320 people a day. Reyes was one of his pilots Monday.

The last ballooning fatality during the fiesta was in 1998, although that balloon was not affiliated with the event. The last fatal balloon incident with ties to the fiesta was in 1992, said fiesta board President Gary Bennett.

"We (balloonists) are a very small group," Bennett said. "We send out our condolences to those affected."

The North County (Calif.) Times contributed to this report.