# Accident 19961222039739A: Arostr RX8, Rio Rancho, NM, December 22, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 22, 1996, 08:50 local time
- Place: Rio Rancho, NM
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.2704° N, 106.6602° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.2704&lon=-106.6602&mi=10
- Aircraft: N6310T, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6310T-2018-09-13) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Aerostar International RX 8 (registry code 7487008, https://openairdocs.org/model/aerostar-international-rx-8) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AROSTR RX8
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 568 total, 220 in this make and model, 12 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW97LA069](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97LA069) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19961222039739A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

MADE HARD HIGH WIND LANDING. TWO PASSENGERS WERE EJECTED. BASKET RAN OVER ONE PASSENGER. (-23) ON DECEMBER 22, 1996, AT 0845 MST, AN AEROSTAR RX-8 HOT AIR BALLOON, N6310T, WAS NOT DAMAGED DURING A HARD LANDING NEAR RIO RANCHO, NEW MEXICO. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT AND TWO OF THE PASSENGERS WERE NOT INJURED; HOWEVER, ONE PASSENGER SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES WHEN SHE WAS THROWN FROM THE BASKET. THE BALLOON WAS REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY A PRIVATE OWNER UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE ALBUQUERQUE BALLOON PARK IN ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, APPROXIMATELY ONE HOUR BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE LOCAL FLIGHT AND A FLIGHT PLAN HAD N0T BEEN FILED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB FTW97LA069](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97LA069), Dec 22, 1996: Aerostar RX-8 (N6310T), Rio Rancho, NM, minor damage. Probable cause: The pilot's inadvertent flight into high wind.

## Other reports on N6310T (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 20041010027121I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20041010027121I), Oct 10, 2004: Arostr RX8 (N6310T), Albuquerque, NM. (-23) On Sunday, October 10, 2004, an Aerostar RX-8, N6310T, collided with another hot air balloon during a private flight which originated from the…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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