- Date
- August 4, 2009, 12:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Albuquerque, NM
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 4 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N494LBLindstrand Balloons 240A
- Defining event
- Landing: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 19, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20090804012599A
- Case key
- 74455
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
A run-on landing of the balloon causing the basket to tip over, resulting in a passenger's injury.
Findings · 2
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 sight-seeing flight, the pilot located an area to land the balloon, and briefed the passengers for the landing. The pilot stated that he "landed in soft sand ... going approximately 10 miles-per-hour." The basket slid for approximately 15 feet before tipping over, coming to rest on its side. As the pilot began to unload the passengers, one of passengers complained of pain in her right arm/shoulder area. The passenger was transported to the hospital, and later was determined that she had suffered a broken arm.
Factual narrative
After a sight-seeing flight, the pilot located an area to land the balloon, and briefed the passengers for the landing. The pilot stated that he "landed in soft sand ... going approximately 10 miles-per-hour." The basket slid for approximately 15 feet before tipping over, coming to rest on its side. As the pilot began to unload the passengers, one of passengers complained of pain in her right arm/shoulder area. The passenger was transported to the hospital, and later was determined that she had suffered a broken arm.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N494LB
- Reported as
- Lindstrand Balloons 240A
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 5377
- Airframe hours
- 305
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Operator
- Rainbow Ryders Inc
- Registered owner
- Rainbow Ryders Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 2, 2009
- Departed
- Albuquerque, NM
- Destination
- Albuquerque, NM
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
- 35
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Last flight review
- August 24, 2007
- Flight hours
- 2,340 total · 300 in this make and model · 2,340 as pilot in command · 63 in the last 90 days · 27 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 26, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 552 KB 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.