# Accident 20011010032259A: Aerstr S81A, Albuquerque, NM, October 10, 2001

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 10, 2001, 08:30 local time
- Place: Albuquerque, NM
- Damage: No damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.0845° N, 106.6511° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Albuquerque, NM, within about 8 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.0845&lon=-106.6511&mi=10
- Aircraft: N52760, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N52760-2017-07-07) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Aerostar International S81A (registry code 7487907, https://openairdocs.org/model/aerostar-international-s81a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AERSTR S81A
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW02LA013](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW02LA013) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20011010032259A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON 10/10/01 AT 0830 MDT AN AEROSTAR S81A BALLOON, N52760, CONTACTED A SMALL BUILDING DURING A HIGH WIND LANDING TO A PARKING LOT AT THE NM STATE FAIRGROUNDS, ALBUQUERQUE, NM. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT AND 9 PASSENGERS WERE UNINJURED. ONE PASSENGER SUSTAINED A FRACTURED SHOULDER. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE BRIEFED THE PASSENGERS TO HOLD ON TO THE BALLOON DURING THE LANDING. THE HUSBAND OF THE INJURED PASSENGER WAS HOLDING HIS WIFE IN AN EFFORT TO PROTECT HER. HIS WEIGHT CRUSHED HER AGAINST THE SIDE OF THE BASKET AND CAUSED THE INJURY. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED NO DAMAGE. (.19) ON OCTOBER 10, 2001, AT 0830 MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME, AN AEROSTAR S81A BALLOON, N52760, CONTACTED A SMALL BUILDING DURING A HIGH WIND LANDING TO A PARKING LOT OF THE NEW MEXICO STATE FAIRGROUNDS, NEAR ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT AND NINE PASSENGERS WERE NOT INJURED, AND ONE PASSENGER SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES. THE BALLOON WAS REGISTERED TO A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL AND OPERATED BY PARK CITY BALLOON ADVENTURES, PARK CITY, UTAH. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED FOR THE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 AERIAL OBSERVATION FLIGHT. T                           HE LOCAL BALLOON FLIGHT DEPARTED BALLOON FIESTA PARK, ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, AT 0810. ACCORDING TO AN FAA INSPECTOR, THE PILOT WAS EXECUTING A HIGH WIND LANDING WHEN THE BALLOON IMPACTED A SMALL BUILDING AND SEVERAL AUTOMOBILES. THE BALLOON WAS NOT DAMAGED, HOWEVER, ONE PASSENGER SUSTAINED A FRACTURED SHOULDER. AT 0756, THE RECORDED WEATHER AT ALBUQUERQUE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, WAS SKY CLEAR, VISIBILITY OF 10 STATUTE MILES, WIND FROM 340 DEGREES AT 8 KNOTS, A TEMPERATURE OF 54 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, A DEW POINT OF 30 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, AND AN ALTIMETER SETTING OF 30.14 INCHES OF MERCURY.

## 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 FTW02LA013](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW02LA013), Oct 10, 2001: Aerostar International S81A (N52760), Albuquerque, NM, minor damage. Probable cause: the selection of an unsuitable landing area by the pilot. A contributing factor was the high wind during the landing.

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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