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20210528010959A

Accident · No damage
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FAA accident report · Lindstrand Balloons 90A · Dayton, NV · May 28, 2021

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 28, 2021 · 08:35 local
Place
Dayton, NV
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N1535G
NTSB investigation
NTSBWPR21LA225
Reported as
Lindstrand Balloons 90A
Reported engine
NONE NONE
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
1
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
640 total616 in this make and model3 in the last 90 days
N1535GRegistered now · Lindstrand Balloons 90AS/N 5374 · Built 2007Airframe modelLindstrand Balloons 90AEngine 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.

As the pilot was coming in for a landing, her balloon was caught by a thermal and climbed in the thermal vortex. Coming out the top of the thermal, the balloon entered a downdraft.

The pilot engaged both of the balloon's burners, but was unable to reduce the rate of descent.

The pilot directed her passengers to brace for impact. The basket impacted the ground and tipped, and the pilot fell out of the basket.

The pilot grabbed and pulled the crown line to spill the hot air out of the envelope of the balloon, and as she was doing that, the thermal caught the balloon again, causing the balloon to take off.

The pilot was losing her grip on the crown line as the balloon was climbing, so directed her passengers to pull on the crown line to effect another landing. The pilot lost her grip at approximately 10 feet above the ground, and then fell to the ground.

The passengers continued to pull on the crown line and the balloon landed and deflated.

As the FAA filed it

AS THE PILOT WAS COMING IN FOR A LANDING, HER BALLOON WAS CAUGHT BY A THERMAL AND CLIMBED IN THE THERMAL VORTEX. COMING OUT THE TOP OF THE THERMAL, THE BALLOON ENTERED A DOWNDRAFT.

THE PILOT ENGAGED BOTH OF THE BALLOON'S BURNERS, BUT WAS UNABLE TO REDUCE THE RATE OF DESCENT.

THE PILOT DIRECTED HER PASSENGERS TO BRACE FOR IMPACT. THE BASKET IMPACTED THE GROUND AND TIPPED, AND THE PILOT FELL OUT OF THE BASKET.

THE PILOT GRABBED AND PULLED THE CROWN LINE TO SPILL THE HOT AIR OUT OF THE ENVELOPE OF THE BALLOON, AND AS SHE WAS DOING THAT, THE THERMAL CAUGHT THE BALLOON AGAIN, CAUSING THE BALLOON TO TAKE OFF.

THE PILOT WAS LOSING HER GRIP ON THE CROWN LINE AS THE BALLOON WAS CLIMBING, SO DIRECTED HER PASSENGERS TO PULL ON THE CROWN LINE TO EFFECT ANOTHER LANDING. THE PILOT LOST HER GRIP AT APPROXIMATELY 10 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, AND THEN FELL TO THE GROUND.

THE PASSENGERS CONTINUED TO PULL ON THE CROWN LINE AND THE BALLOON LANDED AND DEFLATED.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB WPR21LA225Accident · Serious injuriesClass 4 · LimitedFinal reportDayton, NVThe pilot’s failure to maintain control of the balloon due to an unexpected high surface wind and downdraft, which resulted in a hard landing.May 28, 2021 · No damage