- Date
- October 8, 2009, 08:18 local (14:18 UTC)
- Place
- Albuquerque, NM
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4502VCameron Z77
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 3, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Albuquerque FSDO
- FAA report
- 20091008019479A
- Case key
- 74910
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 pilot’s failure to maintain control of the balloon during the approach and landing.
Findings · 3
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 morning balloon flight the pilot was making an approach to landing on a golf course. During a descent to treetop level the pilot reported the winds varied from 8 to 17 miles per hour. After descending below the tops of the trees the pilot reported a gust of 17 miles per hour with a “significant wind shift,” which moved the balloon laterally toward a line of trees. Just before touchdown the pilot said that she “pulled the top” to avoid hitting the trees and “we landed quickly dragging about 5 feet”. As the envelope deflated it snagged a tree causing minor damage to the balloon. The pilot sustained a fractured ankle and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The other occupant was not injured.
Factual narrative
After a morning balloon flight the pilot was making an approach to landing on a golf course. During a descent to tree top level the pilot reported the winds varied from 8 to 17 miles per hour. After descending below the tops of the trees the pilot reported a gust of 17 miles per hour with a “significant wind shift” which moved the balloon laterally toward a line of trees. Just before touchdown the pilot said she “pulled the top” to avoid hitting the trees and “we landed quickly dragging about 5 feet”. As the envelope deflated it snagged a tree causing minor damage to the balloon. The pilot sustained a fractured ankle and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The other occupant was not injured.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4502V
- Reported as
- Cameron Z77
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 6331
- Airframe hours
- 639
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Air race/show · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 11, 2009 · 39 hours before
- Departed
- Rio Rancho, NM
- Destination
- Albuquerque, NM
- Airport
- KABQ · Albuquerque Intl 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
- 58
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 11, 2009
- Flight hours
- 387 total · 304 in this make and model · 367 as pilot in command · 31 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
- Observed at
- KABQ, 6 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 23, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 855 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.