- Date
- May 31, 2009, 06:57 local (11:57 UTC)
- Place
- Fremont, NE
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 3 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N31802National Ballooning 858
- Defining event
- Landing: Cabin safety event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Omaha FSDO
- FAA report
- 20090531009509A
- Case key
- 73943
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The passenger’s inability to position herself properly for the normal balloon landing.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
After a 60-minute morning balloon flight the pilot executed a normal flare to a touch down into two-foot high pasture grass on a soft soil base. GPS records show the touchdown was at six miles per hour. The pilot used the rotator vent to align the balloon so that all of the occupants were facing forward for the touchdown, and he had previously instructed the passengers on how to hold on the rope handles and braces and how to slightly bend their knees for the first impacts of landing. The 79-year-old female passenger said that because she was so short she had to stretch her left arm to hold on to the upper brace. At the first impact with the ground, her adult son standing behind her said that he heard a "pop" and that she then screamed in pain. After the basket stopped moving, the pilot deflated the balloon and tipped the basket on its side to assist the injured passenger in exiting. The passenger was transported to the hospital for treatment of a broken left humerus bone. The other occupants were not injured and the balloon was not damaged.
Factual narrative
After a 60-minute morning balloon flight the pilot executed a normal flare to a touch down into two-foot high pasture grass on a soft soil base. GPS records show the touchdown was at six miles per hour. The pilot used the rotator vent to align the balloon so all of the occupants were facing forward for the touchdown and had previously instructed the passengers how to hold on the rope handles and braces and how to slightly bend their knees for the first impacts of landing. A 79-year old female passenger said because she was so short she had to stretch her left arm to hold on to the upper brace. At the first contact with the ground, her adult son who was standing behind her, said he heard a "pop" and she screamed in pain. After the basket stopped moving the pilot deflated the balloon and tipped the basket on its side to assist the injured passenger in exiting. The passenger was transported to the hospital for treatment of a broken left humerus bone. The other occupants were not injured and the balloon was not damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N31802
- Reported as
- National Ballooning 858
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 161
- Airframe hours
- 113
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- Jaworski Richard L, doing business as Euphoria Balloons
- Registered owner
- Jaworski Richard L and Jaworski Paula
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 10, 2009 · 16 hours before
- Departed
- Waterloo, NE
- Destination
- Fremont, NE
- Airport
- KFET · Fremont Municipal Airport
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 66
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 4, 2008
- Flight hours
- 2,265 total · 113 in this make and model · 2,265 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
- Observed at
- KFET, 5 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 3, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.1 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.