20090907025489I

Incident · No damage

FAA incident report · Head Balloo AX8-105 · Stowe, VT · September 7, 2009

Date: September 7, 2009 · 08:00 local
Place: Stowe, VT
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: No damage
Aircraft: N105VT
Reported as: Head Balloo AX8-105
Reported engine: NONE NONE
People aboard: 5
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 5
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 406 total280 in this make and model15 in the last 90 days

N105VTRegistered now · Head Balloons AX8-105S/N 355 · Built 2006 Airframe modelHead Balloons AX8-105 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.

Pilot stated on approach to landing a "rogue wind" pushed him from behind. The pilot felt a breeze in his face indicating the balloon was accelerating to the landing point, where he tried to burn his way out of the situation but hit hard. The balloon became airborn again, where he set up for another landing close by, this time landing without incident. Four pax onboard. All with bumps and bruises. No damage to the basket, burner or envelope.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT STATED ON APPROACH TO LANDING A "ROGUE WIND" PUSHED HIM FROM BEHIND. THE PILOT FELT A BREEZE IN HIS FACE INDICATING THE BALLOON WAS ACCELERATING TO THE LANDING POINT, WHERE HE TRIED TO BURN HIS WAY OUT OF THE SITUATION BUT HIT HARD. THE BALLOON BECAME AIRBORN AGAIN, WHERE HE SET UP FOR ANOTHER LANDING CLOSE BY, THIS TIME LANDING WITHOUT INCIDENT. FOUR PAX ONBOARD. ALL WITH BUMPS AND BRUISES. NO DAMAGE TO THE BASKET, BURNER OR ENVELOPE.