# Accident 20041009024269A: Colt COLT180A, Albuquerque, NM, October 9, 2004

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 9, 2004, 08:30 local time
- Place: Albuquerque, NM
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.1806° N, 106.6061° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.1806&lon=-106.6061&mi=10
- Aircraft: N784TC, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N784TC-2018-03-20) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Thunder & Colt Airborne Amer COLT 180A (registry code 2301219, https://openairdocs.org/model/thunder-colt-airborne-amer-colt-180a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: COLT COLT180A
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 350 total, 50 in this make and model, 20 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN05CA009](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN05CA009) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20041009024269A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON OCTOBER 09, 2004 AT 0830 MST, N784TC, A THUNDER AND COLT TC-180A HOT AIR BALLOON OPERATED BY HIGH BUT DRY BALLOONS, PERFORMED A HARD LANDING NEAR THE ALBUQUERQUE INTERNATIONAL BALLOON FIESTA PARK. THE BALLOON WAS CONDUCTING COMMERCIAL RIDE OPERATIONS UNDER PART 91 AT THE ALBUQUERQUE INTERNATIONAL BALLOON FIESTA WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME, AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT DAMAGED. THREE PASSENGERS SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES AND ONE PASSENGER SUFFERED A BROKEN ANKLE. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT AND TWO PASSENGERS WERE NOT INJURED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT THE ALBUQUERQUE INTERNATIONAL BALLOON FIESTA PARK ON OCTOBER 9, 2004 AT 0749 MST.

## 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 DEN05CA009](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN05CA009), Oct 9, 2004: Thunder and Colt 180A (N784TC), Albuquerque, NM, no damage. Probable cause: the balloon pilot's improper in-flight planning and failure to maintain aircraft control during descent into high winds resulting in a hard landing and subsequent serious injury to a passenger.…

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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