20051002023239I

Incident

FAA incident report · Balbau NL-1000/STU · Friend, NE · October 2, 2005

Date: October 2, 2005 · 19:00 local
Place: Friend, NE
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Aircraft: N396WB
Reported as: Balbau NL1000STU
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 3,500 total30 in this make and model30 in the last 90 days

N396WBRegistered now · Ballonbau Worner NL-1000/STUS/N 1060 · Built 1999 Airframe modelBallonbau Worner NL-1000/STU Engine modelNONENone

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) The pilot privacy data omitted was participating in a gas balloon race from albuquerque, new Mexico, to Minnesota. Over Kansas, the pilot privacy data omitted experienced heavy downdrafts that caused him to release most of his sand ballast. Once over Nebraska, he decided he needed to land in daylight conditions and not continue into night conditions for safety, due to not having any ballast left. The winds in Nebraska at that time were still very gusty, gusting to over 30 knots. The pilot privacy data omitted selected a field near Friend, Nebraska, to land and due to the strong winds made a hard landing. The pilot's privacy data omitted shoulder was injured in a car accident several years ago and is susceptible to being dislocated which occurred during the hard landing. The pilot privacy data omitted was treated at the Friend hospital's emergency room and released. There was no damage to the balloon, property or injury to the one passenger that was aboard.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS PARTICIPATING IN A GAS BALLOON RACE FROM ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, TO MINNESOTA. OVER KANSAS, THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ EXPERIENCED HEAVY DOWNDRAFTS THAT CAUSED HIM TO RELEASE MOST OF HIS SAND BALLAST. ONCE OVER NEBRASKA, HE DECIDED HE NEEDED TO LAND IN DAYLIGHT CONDITIONS AND NOT CONTINUE INTO NIGHT CONDITIONS FOR SAFETY, DUE TO NOT HAVING ANY BALLAST LEFT. THE WINDS IN NEBRASKA AT THAT TIME WERE STILL VERY GUSTY, GUSTING TO OVER 30 KNOTS. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ SELECTED A FIELD NEAR FRIEND, NEBRASKA, TO LAND AND DUE TO THE STRONG WINDS MADE A HARD LANDING. THE PILOT'S ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ SHOULDER WAS INJURED IN A CAR ACCIDENT SEVERAL YEARS AGO AND IS SUSCEPTIBLE TO BEING DISLOCATED WHICH OCCURRED DURING THE HARD LANDING. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS TREATED AT THE FRIEND HOSPITAL'S EMERGENCY ROOM AND RELEASED. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE BALLOON, PROPERTY OR INJURY TO THE ONE PASSENGER THAT WAS ABOARD.