# Accident 19990522046379A: Camron A250, Windsor, CA, May 22, 1999 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: May 22, 1999, 08:20 local time - Place: Windsor, CA - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 38.5297° N, 122.8101° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.5297&lon=-122.8101&mi=10 - Aircraft: N3037V, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N3037V-2015-10-08) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cameron Balloons US A-250 (registry code 1880119, https://openairdocs.org/model/cameron-balloons-us-a-250) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CAMRON A250 - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 2,245 total, 74 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX99LA189](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX99LA189) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990522046379A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (-23) ON MAY 22, 1999, ABOUT 0824 HOURS PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME, A CAMERON BALLOONS A-250, N3037V, SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE DURING A HARD LANDING NEAR WINDSOR, CA. THE LOCAL SIGHTSEEING FLIGHT DEPARTED AN OPEN FIELD THREE MILES NORTH APPROXIMATELY 35 MINUTES EARLIER. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT/OWNER WAS OPERATING THE FLIGHT UNDER PROVISIONS OF 14 CFR PART 91. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE PILOT AND COPILOT WERE NOT INJURED, THIRTEEN PASSENGERS SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES, AND TWO PASSENGERS SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES. (.4) THE BALLOON BASKET HIT HARD AND OVERTURNED DURING A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING. THE PILOT CONTACTED THE TOWER AT THE INTENDED POINT OF LANDING 2 MILES AWAY, AND THEY NOTIFIED HIM OF WINDS GUSTING TO 21 KNOTS. THE WIND WAS CALM AT THE BALLOON'S LOCATION, BUT THE PILOT DECIDED TO LAND. BEFORE HE COULD GET THE BALLOON TO THE GROUND, THE WINDS INCREASED RAPIDLY. THE BALLOON HIT THE GROUND AND WENT THROUGH A FENCE PRIOR TO A HARD COLLISION WITH THE STEEP BANK OF A CREEK. THE PILOT WAS EJECTED AS HE TRIED TO DEFLATE THE BALLOON, AND THE COPILOT LANDED THE BALLOON. IT HIT HARD AND THE BASKET TURNED O NTO ITS SIDE. THE BALLOON FLIGHT MANUAL (FM) REQUIRES THE BALLOON TO BE EQUIPPED WITH HELMETS FOR EACH PASSENGER AND RECOMMENDS THAT THEY BE WORN DURING LANDINGS IN WINDS 10 MPH OR GREATER. IT INSTRUCTS THE PILOT TO BRIEF PASSENGERS ON PROPER USE PRIOR TO FLIGHT. THE PILOT DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH HELMETS ON BOARD TO EQUIP EVERY PASSENGER, DID NOT BRIEF THE PASSENGERS THAT THEY WERE AVAILABLE, AND DID NOT BRIEF THEM ON THE EQUIPMENT'S PROPER USE. ABOUT 3 HOURS BEFORE THE FLIGHT, THE PILOT CONTACTED A FLIGHT SERVICE STATION FOR WEATHER INFORMATION AT HIS DESTINATION. THIS BRIEF OCCURRED A FEW MINUTES PRIOR TO THE RELEASE OF THE NEXT SCHEDULED AERODROME FORECAST (TAF), WHICH NOTED THE POSSIBILITY OF A RAPID INCREASE IN WIND VELOCITY ABOUT THE TIME OF THE ACTUAL LANDING. THE ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL FOR WHICH THE PILOT OBTAINED THE BRIEF COULD NOT BE ESTABLISHED. THE PILOT DID NOT UPDATE HIS BRIEFING PRIOR TO LAUNCH. IT COULD NOT BE ESTABLISHED IF HE OBTAINED A STANDARD BRIEFING, ABBREVIATED BRIEFING, OR REQUESTED SPECIFIC INFORMATION. THE PILOT RECALLED RECEIVING WINDS ALOFT, BUT NOT A FORECAST FOR HIGH SURFACE WINDS. THE AIRMAN'S INFORMATION MANUAL STATES THAT IF THE PILOT REQUESTS EITHER A STANDARD OR ABBREVIATED WEATHER BRIEFING, A BRIEFER WILL AUTOMATICALLY PROVIDE ADVERSE CONDITIONS BOTH PRESENT AND FORECAST. THE BRIEFER WILL PROVIDE A DESTINATION FORECAST FOR THE ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL AND ANY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WITHIN 1 HOUR BEFORE AND AFTER THE PLANNED ARRIVAL TIME. ## 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 LAX99LA189](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX99LA189), May 22, 1999: Cameron A-250 (N3037V), Windsor, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot did not obtain the most current weather briefing available, which forecast high winds about his actual landing time. The balloon encountered high winds and collided with an embankment in a… ## Other reports on N3037V (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Accident 20050209002209A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050209002209A), Feb 9, 2005: Camron A250 (N3037V), Cave Creek, AZ. (-23) The pilot stated he boarded two passengers and told the other passengers to wait. He began inflating the balloon, the instructed the waiting passengers… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.