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20210620008249I

Incident · No damage
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FAA incident report · Balony Kubicek Spol Sro BB40Z · Littleton, CO · June 20, 2021

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
June 20, 2021 · 08:00 local
Place
Littleton, CO
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N644CB
Reported as
Balony Kubicek Spol Sro BB40Z
Reported engine
NONE NONE
People aboard
7
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
2
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
N644CBRegistered now · Balony Kubicek Spol Sro BB40ZS/N 1240 · Built 2016Airframe modelBalony Kubicek Spol Sro BB40ZEngine 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.

On June 20 2021 at 0800 N644CB, a balloon, experience a hard landing due to unforecasted high winds and downdrafts. Passengers experienced minor injuries.

Weather: weather forecast and current conditions checked at 5:00AM using multiple online data sources and

Aviation app foreflight. At launch sight 3 helium filled pibals were released to check and varify weather conditions

Above the launch field. Commercial pilot privacy data omitted and I consulted and agreed that weather was flyable.

Flight: normal setup and inflation. Passengers were briefed on safety issues and landing instructions prior to flight. Departed at approximately 6:45AM. Flight path tracked in a northerly direction at 3 mph to 5 mph. At approximately 7:15AM a 180° wind shift occured that shifted the balloon to the south at approximately 35 mph.

The flight path continued over the lake southbound and I repeated my landing instructions while on our track

Southbound. As the flight continued south, downdrafts occured that the balloon was unable to overcome with all power available that resulted in impacting the southeast lake. After departing the lake the flight continued towards platte canyon resevoir, an approach and high-wind landing was made which ended the flight. After securing the aircraft, 6 passengers and myself walked down the canyon to waterton road. Emergency personnel was at the scene to evaluate all passengers. The emergency vehicles transported all 6 passengers back to the balloon port parking lot.

As the FAA filed it

ON JUNE 20 2021 AT 0800 N644CB, A BALLOON, EXPERIENCE A HARD LANDING DUE TO UNFORECASTED HIGH WINDS AND DOWNDRAFTS. PASSENGERS EXPERIENCED MINOR INJURIES.

WEATHER: WEATHER FORECAST AND CURRENT CONDITIONS CHECKED AT 5:00AM USING MULTIPLE ONLINE DATA SOURCES AND

AVIATION APP FOREFLIGHT. AT LAUNCH SIGHT 3 HELIUM FILLED PIBALS WERE RELEASED TO CHECK AND VARIFY WEATHER CONDITIONS

ABOVE THE LAUNCH FIELD. COMMERCIAL PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND I CONSULTED AND AGREED THAT WEATHER WAS FLYABLE.

FLIGHT: NORMAL SETUP AND INFLATION. PASSENGERS WERE BRIEFED ON SAFETY ISSUES AND LANDING INSTRUCTIONS PRIOR TO FLIGHT. DEPARTED AT APPROXIMATELY 6:45AM. FLIGHT PATH TRACKED IN A NORTHERLY DIRECTION AT 3 MPH TO 5 MPH. AT APPROXIMATELY 7:15AM A 180° WIND SHIFT OCCURED THAT SHIFTED THE BALLOON TO THE SOUTH AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH.

THE FLIGHT PATH CONTINUED OVER THE LAKE SOUTHBOUND AND I REPEATED MY LANDING INSTRUCTIONS WHILE ON OUR TRACK

SOUTHBOUND. AS THE FLIGHT CONTINUED SOUTH, DOWNDRAFTS OCCURED THAT THE BALLOON WAS UNABLE TO OVERCOME WITH ALL POWER AVAILABLE THAT RESULTED IN IMPACTING THE SOUTHEAST LAKE. AFTER DEPARTING THE LAKE THE FLIGHT CONTINUED TOWARDS PLATTE CANYON RESEVOIR, AN APPROACH AND HIGH-WIND LANDING WAS MADE WHICH ENDED THE FLIGHT. AFTER SECURING THE AIRCRAFT, 6 PASSENGERS AND MYSELF WALKED DOWN THE CANYON TO WATERTON ROAD. EMERGENCY PERSONNEL WAS AT THE SCENE TO EVALUATE ALL PASSENGERS. THE EMERGENCY VEHICLES TRANSPORTED ALL 6 PASSENGERS BACK TO THE BALLOON PORT PARKING LOT.