# Accident 19981004038919A: Camron N120, Albuquerque, NM, October 4, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 4, 1998, 08:30 local time
- Place: Albuquerque, NM
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.0602° N, 106.6203° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.0602&lon=-106.6203&mi=10
- Aircraft: N1607G, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1607G-2015-05-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cameron Balloons U S N 120 (registry code 1880228, https://openairdocs.org/model/cameron-balloons-u-s-n-120) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CAMRON N120
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,850 total, 296 in this make and model, 28 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN99LA003](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN99LA003) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19981004038919A

## Narrative

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

(.4)ON OCTOBER 4, 1998, APPROXIMATELY 0830 MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME, A CAMERON N-120 BALLOON, N1607G, WAS NOT DAMAGED WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN NEAR ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT WAS NOT INJURED; HOWEVER, THESE PASSENGERS RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES AND ONE PASSENGER RECEIVED SERIOUS INJURIES.  THE BALLOON WAS BEING OPERATED BY THE OWNER UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91.  VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE LOCAL FLIGHT WHICH ORIGINATED APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES BEFORE THE ACCIDENT.  NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED.  ACCORDING TO THE PILOT'S ACCIDENT REPORT, HE AND HIS PASSENGERS WENT FOR A SHORT RIDE AT ALBUQUERQUE'S BALLOON FIESTA WHEN HE ENCOUNTERED WIND SHEAR.  THE PILOT AND AN PILOT RATED PASSENGER EXECUTED A BURN TO CONTROL THE DESCENT.  THE BURN WAS UNSUCCESSFUL.  THE BALLOON MADE A HARD LANDING AND ONE PASSENGER BROKE HER LEG.  THE BALLOON WAS NOT DAMAGED IN THE LANDING, ALTHOUGH THE BASKET DID TIP OVER WHILE THE PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO DEFLATE THE BALLOON.                                                  (-23) ON SUNDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 04, 1998, AT APPROXIMATELY 0855 AM, MDT, A CAMERON, N-120 BALLOON, N1607G, MADE A HARD LANDING IN A FIELD ON THE NORT HEAST EDGE OF AT ALBUQUERQUE, NM. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME. THE BALLOON WAS FLYING AT APPROXIMATELY 500 FEET AGL WHEN IN ENCOUNTERED WINDSHEAR AND BEGAN A DESCENT WHICH COULD NOT BE ARRESTED EVEN WITH BOTH BURNERS FULLY OPERATING. THE DESCENT TERMINATED WITH A HARD LANDING IN AN OPEN FIELD. ONE PASSENGER SUFFERED SERIOUS INJURIES AND WAS HOSPITALIZED WITH A BROKEN LEG. THREE PASSENGERS RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE ALBUQUERQUE KODAK INTERNATIONAL BALLOON FIESTA PARK, LOCATED IN ALBUQUERQUE, NM.

## 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 DEN99LA003](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN99LA003), Oct 4, 1998: Cameron N-120 (N1607G), Albuquerque, NM, no damage. Probable cause: The balloon's encounter with unforecasted wind shear and the subsequent inadvertent collision with terrain. A factor was the pilot's inability to control the balloon's descent.

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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