What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On Saturday March 12, 2016 the pilot was decending for a landing in an open field in a Balloon with a male and female passenger on board. Just prior to touch down the Balloon encountered a gusting down draft which caused a hard landing. The male passenger was thrown off balance and thrown into the female passenger apparently striking her leg with his knee. The female passenger refused to go to the emergency room thinking that she was going to be all right. She later had an x-ray which revealed that her leg had a broken tibia. Had this event not resulted in a broken bone this would be a non-issue.
As the FAA filed it
ON SATURDAY MARCH 12, 2016 THE PILOT WAS DECENDING FOR A LANDING IN AN OPEN FIELD IN A BALLOON WITH A MALE AND FEMALE PASSENGER ON BOARD. JUST PRIOR TO TOUCH DOWN THE BALLOON ENCOUNTERED A GUSTING DOWN DRAFT WHICH CAUSED A HARD LANDING. THE MALE PASSENGER WAS THROWN OFF BALANCE AND THROWN INTO THE FEMALE PASSENGER APPARENTLY STRIKING HER LEG WITH HIS KNEE. THE FEMALE PASSENGER REFUSED TO GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM THINKING THAT SHE WAS GOING TO BE ALL RIGHT. SHE LATER HAD AN X-RAY WHICH REVEALED THAT HER LEG HAD A BROKEN TIBIA. HAD THIS EVENT NOT RESULTED IN A BROKEN BONE THIS WOULD BE A NON-ISSUE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.