Three months after a border surveillance blimp crashed in a residential area in Southern Arizona, the Air Force has cleared the way for flights to resume while investigation of the mishap continues.
The Tethered Aerostat Radar System site at Fort Huachuca has been shut down since early May, when the balloonlike craft broke free of its mooring on a windy day.
It fell apart over the Canyon de Flores neighborhood in Sierra Vista, about 75 miles southeast of Tucson.
Though the aerostat, used to detect cross-border smuggling, is housed on an Army post, it's part of a Homeland Security mission run by the Air Force.
On Friday, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson announced the aerostat would soon be airborne again, likely within a week.
While no injuries were reported in the May incident, D-M said in a news release that extra steps have been taken to protect the public.
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"The Air Force reviewed procedures and implemented additional precautionary measures to mitigate hazards and maintain the safety of the local community, site personnel and government equipment," the news release said
Also, it said, the aerostat flight crew will receive refresher training focused on flight safety and the limitations of the craft.
Witnesses in the neighborhood where the aerostat crashed expressed surprise at the mishap at the time because the military's usual practice was to take the blimp down on windy days, they said.
A fact sheet on the Air Force's website at the time said aerostats are "stable in all winds below 65 knots."
On the day of the crash, a weather advisory called for surface winds greater than 30 knots - or about 35 mph, according to Star archives.
Contact reporter Carol Ann Alaimo at calaimo@azstarnet.com or at 573-4138.
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