# Accident 20250915015419A: Cameron Balloons US A-225, Albuquerque, NM, September 15, 2025

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 15, 2025, 08:10 local time
- Place: Albuquerque, NM
- Damage: No damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.0754° N, 106.7160° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.0754&lon=-106.7160&mi=10
- Aircraft: N980VA, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N980VA) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cameron Balloons US A-225 (registry code 1880232, https://openairdocs.org/model/cameron-balloons-us-a-225) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CAMERON BALLOONS US A-225
- Reported engine: NONE NONE
- People aboard: 9
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 1,309 total, 32 in this make and model, 5 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR25LA284](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR25LA284) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20250915015419A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON 09/15/2025 AT APPROX. 0810 AM MST. A PASSENGER BALLOON MODEL CAMRON A-225 ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, PILOTED BY A COMMERCIALLY RATED PILOT, ON A SIGHT SEEING TOUR WITH A FLIGHT DURATION OF APPROX 1 HOUR, ENCOUNTERED A ROUGH LANDING WITH 1 PILOT AND 7 PASSENGERS ON BOARD. THE BALLOON DEPARTED FROM A VACANT LOT ON THE CORNER OF COORS AND MONTANO IN ABQ, NM. THE MAX ALTITUDE REACHED WAS 7300 MSL WITH MAX WIND SPEED WAS 19.8 MPH APPROX. 700 FT AGL. WIND SPEED AT APPROACH SITE WAS 13 TO 14 MPH IN DIRECTION OF 185-190 DEGREES.  AFTER WITNESSING OTHER BALLOONS LANDING AND FLAGS ON THE GROUND THE PILOT REITERATED TO THE 7 PASSENGERS THE LANDING PROCEDURES, KNOWING THE LANDING WOULD BE BUMPY GIVEN THE OBSERVED WIND CONDITIONS. THE BALLOON MADE THE APPROACH TO THE DESERT FIELD WITH KNEE HIGH BUSHES AND UNLEVEL DIRT. THE BALLOON CONTACTED THE GROUND AND DRUG FOR APPROX. 25 FEET. THE BALLOON SHIFTED FROM VERTICAL TO APPROX. 45 TO 60 DEGREES. THE BALLOON ENVELOPE WAS DEFLATED AND BASKET SETTLED HORIZONTAL. THE GROUND CREW RETURNED BASKET TO VERTICAL. ONE PASSENGER SUSTAINED A BLOODY NOSE AND REPORTED HER WRIST HURT. THE PASSENGER WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE NEAREST URGENT CARE BY HER HUSBAND. UPON EXAMINATION PASSENGER SUSTAINED TWO FRACTURES TO HER RIGHT WRIST.

THIS ACCIDENT OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF ON THE PASSENGER NOT ASSUMING THE CORRECT POSITION THAT THE PILOT HAD BRIEFED THE PASSENGER TO ASSUME BEFORE TOUCHDOWN AND WAS NOT THE RESULT OF PILOT NEGLECT OR LACK OF INFORMATION. PASSENGER WAS EXPERIENCED WITH BALLOON RIDES. THE BALLOON LANDED WITHOUT DAMAGE IN THE SAME AREA THAT OTHER BALLOONS HAD LANDED AT PREVIOUSLY ON THAT DAY WITHOUT INCIDENT AND IN THE SAME WIND CONDITIONS. NO OTHER PASSENGERS WERE INJURED IN THE LANDING.   JRK

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB WPR25LA284](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR25LA284), Sep 15, 2025: Cameron Balloons US A-225 (N980VA), Albuquerque, NM, no damage. Probable cause: The balloon pilot’s improper landing, which resulted in serious injury to a passenger. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to brief the proper landing procedure.

## Other reports on N980VA (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 20251124020709A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20251124020709A), Nov 24, 2025: Cameron Balloons US A-225 (N980VA), Albuquerque, NM, No damage. On November 24,2025 at 0800 a camron A-225 balloon [privacy data omitted] piloted by a commercially rated pilot departed from a field near cotton wood mall in…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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