# Accident 20011028036859A: Camron A210, Albuquerque, NM, October 28, 2001 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: October 28, 2001, 08:45 local time - Place: Albuquerque, NM - Damage: Minor damage - Phase of flight: Forced Landing - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 35.1902° N, 106.4991° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.1902&lon=-106.4991&mi=10 - Aircraft: N30606, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N30606-2020-02-28) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cameron Balloons US A-210 (registry code 1880215, https://openairdocs.org/model/cameron-balloons-us-a-210) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CAMRON A210 - People aboard: 3 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 2,100 total, 28 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW02LA025](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW02LA025) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20011028036859A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (.19) ON OCTOBER 28, 2001, AT 0845 MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, A CAMERON BALLOON A-210, N30606, SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE DURING A HARD LANDING NEAR ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO. THE HOT-AIR BALLOON WAS REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY RAINBOW RYDERS INC., OF ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO. THE PRIVATE PILOT AND TWO PASSENGERS WERE NOT INJURED, SEVEN PASSENGERS SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES, AND ONE PASSENGER SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED FOR THE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 AERIAL OBSERVATION FLIGHT. THE LOCAL FLIGHT DEPARTED FROM A FIELD AT AN UNKNOWN TIME. ACCORDING TO THE OPERATOR, THE BALLOON MADE A HARD LANDING IN A FIELD DURING WHICH ONE OF THE PASSENGERS SUSTAINED A FRACTURED TIBIA. AT 0756, THE ALBUQUERQUE INTERNATIONAL SUNPORT'S WEATHER OBSERVATION FACILITY REPORTED THE WIND FROM 120 DEGREES AT 3 KNOTS. (.4) ON OCTOBER 28, 2001, AT 0845 MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, A CAMERON BALLOON A-210, N30606, SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE DURING A HARD LANDING NEAR ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO. THE HOT-AIR BALLOON WAS REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY RAINBOW RYDERS INC., OF ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT AND TWO PA SSENGERS WERE NOT INJURED, SEVEN PASSENGERS SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES, AND ONE PASSENGER SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED FOR THE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 AERIAL OBSERVATION FLIGHT. THE LOCAL FLIGHT DEPARTED FROM A FIELD AT 0725. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT'S WRITTEN STATEMENT, THE PILOT OBTAINED A WEATHER BRIEFING PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT'S DEPARTURE. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT DURING THE INITIAL PART OF THE FLIGHT, THE WIND WAS "LIGHT AS FORECASTED." DURING THE APPROACH, THE PILOT NOTICED THE "WINDS STARTING TO INCREASE VARYING GREATLY IN DIRECTION." THE LANDING SITES WERE "MINIMAL," AND SHE ELECTED TO LAND IN A FIELD. SHE BRIEFED HER PASSENGERS FOR A "STEEP APPROACH/SHORT FIELD LANDING." AS THE BALLOON REACHED TREES UPWIND FROM THE LANDING SITE, THE PILOT PULLED THE DEFLATION PORT, AND WARNED HER PASSENGERS THAT THE LANDING WAS GOING TO BE "VERY HARD." SHE ADDED THAT AS THE BALLOON PASSED OVER THE TREE LINE, "IT FELT LIKE WE WERE BEING PUSHED TO THE GROUND AT A GREATER DESCENT THAN I EXPECTED." THE BALLOON SUBSEQUENTLY IMPACTED THE GROUND HARD. AT 0856, THE ALBUQUERQUE INTERNATIONAL SUNPORT'S WEATHER OBSERVATION FACILITY REPORTED THE WIND FROM 120 DEGREES AT 3 KNOTS. THE PILOT REPORTED THE WIND FROM 140 TO 200 DEGREES AT 15-20 KNOTS. (-23) AT APPROXIMATELY 0830 MST RAINBOW RIDERS BALLOON (N30606), A CAMERON MODEL A-210 PILOTED BY GLORIA KEHOE MADE A HARD LANDING IN SOUTHWEST ALBUQUERQUE, NM IN A DIRT FIELD. THE PILOT AND SEVEN (7) PASSENGERS WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL WITH MINOR INJURIES. ## 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 FTW02LA025](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW02LA025), Oct 28, 2001: Cameron Balloon A-210 (N30606), Albuquerque, NM, minor damage. Probable cause: the pilot's excessive descent rate during the landing approach, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing factors were the high wind conditions and the lack of suitable terrain for 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. --- 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.