Great Park balloon still grounded

Irvine’s much-touted Great Park balloon ride, grounded nearly a month ago because of alleged safety violations, will probably be closed for several more weeks after a federal investigation raised new concerns.

A monthlong Federal Aviation Administration investigation could not determine whether the balloon had been flown in unsafe conditions, as a former employee alleged, because the balloon’s operators weren’t required to keep many records, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said Tuesday. But the investigation also uncovered other “administrative errors and procedural deficiencies,” including insufficient measurement of clouds and visibility, inadequate documentation of employee training and the lack of an instruction manual, Gregor said, reading from a March 14 letter to former balloon pilot Jonathan Bradford.

Bradford, who left the balloon company in January, had charged in a letter to the FAA last month that its chief pilot showed “cavalier disregard” for the agency’s regulations by flying in clouds, during conditions of low visibility and high winds, and by deliberately soaring higher than the attraction’s permit allowed. Irvine officials grounded the ride two weeks later.

Bradford could not be reached for comment late Tuesday.

The balloon, which is tied by a metal cable to a concrete platform, is not allowed to fly higher than 499 feet and cannot be flown within 1,000 feet of clouds or if visibility is less than five miles, according to its permit.

The agency revoked the permit, also called a waiver, on March 7 after learning that the person it was issued to did not oversee the balloon’s operation, Gregor said.

“If the person named in the waiver isn’t running the operation,” he said, “there’s no way to make sure the person running it is aware of all the rules.”

Gregor said the park will now be required to keep more detailed records of visibility, cloud cover and employee training.

Irvine spokesman Louie Gonzalez said the city would correct each of the deficiencies raised by the agency, but that the findings show “the balloon has been flying safely.”

Although the Great Park has filed for a new flying permit, he said, the balloon will remain grounded until the FAA approves its request and an independent investigator hired by the city completes a separate review.

The attraction opened in July 2007, becoming the first feature of the 1,347-acre park planned for the former El Toro Marine base. Since then, it has attracted more than 40,000 passengers.

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tony.barboza@latimes.com