- Date
- April 19, 2014, 08:15 local (14:15 UTC)
- Place
- Security, CO
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N15095Firefly 8B-15
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 21, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA - FSDO
- FAA report
- 20140419007689A
- Case key
- 89109
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
An unexpected increase in wind velocity which resulted in a hard landing and the subsequent passenger 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
The pilot reported the wind was from the north-northwest at 6 knots when they departed and the balloon traveled to the southeast as expected. When they descended to land the wind velocity increased to 20 plus knots and the wind changed 90 degrees in direction moving them to the west. The pilot attempted to land twice and aborted both landings due to the wind and terrain conditions. The pilot briefed the passenger, who was very familiar with balloon operations, that they were going to make a high wind landing. The passenger stated he crouched down in the basket for the landing and as the triangular basket touched down and turned to its flat side, he felt his ankle roll. The basket lay down and once the balloon stopped they crawled out of the basket. The passenger stated he knew he injured his ankle and a couple days later he was diagnosed with a fractured tibia.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported the wind was from the north-northwest at 6 knots when they departed and the balloon traveled to the southeast as expected. When they descended to land the wind velocity increased to 20 plus knots and the wind changed 90 degrees in direction moving them to the west. The pilot attempted to land twice and aborted both landings due to the wind and terrain conditions. The pilot briefed the passenger, who was very familiar with balloon operations, that they were going to make a high wind landing. The passenger stated he crouched down in the basket for the landing and as the triangular basket touched down and turned to its flat side, he felt his ankle roll. The basket lay down and once the balloon stopped they crawled out of the basket. The passenger stated he knew he injured his ankle and a couple days later he was diagnosed with a fractured tibia.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N15095
- Reported as
- Firefly 8B-15
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- F8B-2027
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Howes Skip
- Registered owner
- Howes Skip
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Colorado Spring, CO
- Destination
- Colorado Spring, CO
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
- 64
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Last flight review
- August 22, 2012
- Seat
- None
- Restraint
- None
- Flight hours
- 412 total · 412 in this make and model · 412 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- COS, 1 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 9, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 90 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.