20151009021999A

Accident · No damage

FAA accident report · Aerostar International RX 8 · Albuquerque, NM · October 9, 2015

Date
October 9, 2015 · 09:02 local
Place
Albuquerque, NM
Phase of flight
Other, Specify
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N5294Q
Reported as
Aerostar International RX 8
Reported engine
NONE NONE
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
1
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
216 total116 in this make and model21 in the last 90 days

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.

On October 09, 2015, at 0902 MDT, N5294Q, an Aerostar RX-8 (lta-b with airborne heater),had completed its 50-minute flight as a participant in the Albuquerque international balloon fiesta, had made a ?standup landing? In a cemetery and was waiting for its chase crew to arrive. The pilot and one of the two passengers had exited the gondola to guide the envelope off of some trees when a wind gust came up, the wind tilted the gondola up onto one end. The pilot pulled the top parachute out of the envelope. The wind shifted direction causing the gondola to rotate and causing the passenger in the gondola to lose her balance and fall, suffering numerous injuries. Passnerger was was transported to the hospital by ambulance.

As the FAA filed it

ON OCTOBER 09, 2015, AT 0902 MDT, N5294Q, AN AEROSTAR RX-8 (LTA-B WITH AIRBORNE HEATER),HAD COMPLETED ITS 50-MINUTE FLIGHT AS A PARTICIPANT IN THE ALBUQUERQUE INTERNATIONAL BALLOON FIESTA, HAD MADE A ?STANDUP LANDING? IN A CEMETERY AND WAS WAITING FOR ITS CHASE CREW TO ARRIVE. THE PILOT AND ONE OF THE TWO PASSENGERS HAD EXITED THE GONDOLA TO GUIDE THE ENVELOPE OFF OF SOME TREES WHEN A WIND GUST CAME UP, THE WIND TILTED THE GONDOLA UP ONTO ONE END. THE PILOT PULLED THE TOP PARACHUTE OUT OF THE ENVELOPE. THE WIND SHIFTED DIRECTION CAUSING THE GONDOLA TO ROTATE AND CAUSING THE PASSENGER IN THE GONDOLA TO LOSE HER BALANCE AND FALL, SUFFERING NUMEROUS INJURIES. PASSNERGER WAS WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL BY AMBULANCE.