# Accident 20020223002999A: Colt COLT120A, Moreno Valley, CA, February 23, 2002

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 23, 2002, 08:05 local time
- Place: Moreno Valley, CA
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.9375° N, 117.2306° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Moreno Valley, CA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.9375&lon=-117.2306&mi=10
- Aircraft: N240TC, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N240TC-2013-10-29) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Thunder & Colt COLT 120A (registry code 8970122, https://openairdocs.org/model/thunder-colt-colt-120a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: COLT COLT120A
- People aboard: 6
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 922 total, 14 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX02LA150](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX02LA150) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020223002999A

## Narrative

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

(-23) 02/23/2002, HOT AIR BALLOON, THUNDER & COLT MODEL 120A, ON PLEASURE FLIGHT WITH 9 PASSENGERS AND 1 PILOT, DUE TO HIGH WINDS FORCED LANDED IN AN OPEN FIELD IN WOODCREST, CA. MINOR INJURIES TO 3 PASSENGERS. (.19) ON FEBRUARY 23, 2002, AT 0805 PACIFIC STANDARD TIME, A THUNDER AND COLT, COLT 120A BALLOON, N240TC, LANDED HARD NEAR MORENO VALLEY, CALIFORNIA. ONE PASSENGER WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED; THREE PASSENGERS SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES; AND THE COMMERCIAL CERTIFICATED PILOT AND FIVE REMAINING PASSENGERS WERE NOT INJURED. THE HOT AIR BALLOON RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGE. THE LOCAL AREA SIGHTSEEING FLIGHT WAS OPERATED BY THE GREAT AMERICAN BALLOON COMPANY UNDER 14 CFR PART 91, AND DEPARTED FROM THE PERRIS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, AIRPORT AT 0710. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED.                                                                        (.4) ON FEBRUARY 23, 2002, AT 0805 PACIFIC STANDARD TIME, A THUNDER AND COLT, COLT 120A BALLOON, N240TC, LANDED HARD NEAR MORENO VALLEY, CALIFORNIA. ONE PASSENGER WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED; THREE PASSENGERS SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES; AND THE COMMERCIAL CERTIFICATED PILOT AND FIVE REMAINING PASSENGERS WERE              NOT INJURED. THE HOT AIR BALLOON RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGE. THE LOCAL AREA SIGHTSEEING FLIGHT WAS OPERATED BY THE GREAT AMERICAN BALLOON COMPANY UNDER 14 CFR PART 91, AND DEPARTED FROM THE PERRIS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, AIRPORT AT 0710. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE INTENDED TO CONDUCT THE FLIGHT FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES, LAND IN A FIELD, WHERE THE PASSENGERS WOULD DISEMBARK, AND ANOTHER GRUOP OF PASSENGERS WOULD BOARD. DURING THE LANDING DESCENT, THE PILOT ENOUNTERED HIGH GROUND WINDS, AND SUBSEQUENTLY ATTEMPTED TO CONDUCT A HIGH-WIND LANDING. THE BALLOON STRUCK THE GROUND, AND THEN DRAGGED ACROSS THE GROUND FOR ABOUT 70 YARDS.

## 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 LAX02LA150](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX02LA150), Feb 23, 2002: Thunder and Colt Colt 120 A (N240TC), Moreno Valley, CA, no damage. Probable cause: The pilot's inadequate handling of the aircraft. High winds were a contributing factor.

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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