A mistake made by a hot air balloon pilot who had drugs including cocaine in his system caused a crash in 2021 in New Mexico that killed all five people on board, investigators have determined.
The National Transportation Safety Board said in its final report released this week that pilot Nicholas Meleski did not maintain enough clearance from power lines while trying to land. He hit the power lines and crashed into a busy intersection. The report said investigators found no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures.
Weed probably hurt more than the coke in this case. Power lines are extremely difficult to see from above, instead of looking for them against the background of the sky, where they stand out, you’re looking for them against the background of the ground.
They blend right the fuck in. You have to look for the poles, and you have to be sharp about it.
Compound that with the fact that the balloonist wouldn’t be that low if he wasn’t trying to land, probably because he’s starting to run low on fuel, or the potential spots in his direction of travel just look worse and worse. Roadways are good spots, generally, but the power lines frequently associated with them are a well-known issue.
Pilots should be sober though. Stone sober. While 99% of your flights may be dull and boring, the balloon goes where the wind blows it, so you never know if today might be that 1%.
I’ve almost hit power lines before. Them shits can be basically invisible depending on the circumstances.
Being sober is essential, though.
Army helicopter pilots learn to fly over poles rather than between them for just this reason