# NTSB CEN14LA397: Cameron Balloons US A-180, N65059, Questa, NM, July 25, 2014 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: July 25, 2014, 07:40 local (13:40 UTC) - Place: Questa, NM - Coordinates: 36.533332, -105.716667 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.5333&lon=-105.7167&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Approach: Miscellaneous/other](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/900) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 2 serious, 7 uninjured - Status: Completed, report February 23, 2015 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - ABQ FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 89772 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN14LA397 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/89772/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=89772 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN14LA397 ## Probable cause The hard landing after both burner pilot lights extinguished during the landing approach. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inability to relight the burner pilot lights. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Use of equip/info: aircraft control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cameron Balloons US A-180, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md?model=1880233), [All aircraft, 9,295 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062000): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Cameron Balloons US A-180, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062000/cases.md?model=1880233), [All aircraft, 1,269 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062000/cases.md) - [Aircraft](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01020000): Aircraft › Aircraft systems · Not specified (probable cause); cases with it: [Cameron Balloons US A-180, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01020000/cases.md?model=1880233), [All aircraft, 63 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01020000/cases.md) - [Action](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041000): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cameron Balloons US A-180, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041000/cases.md?model=1880233), [All aircraft, 111 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041000/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Approach: Miscellaneous/other](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/900) (defining event); cases with it: [Cameron Balloons US A-180, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/900/sequence.md?model=1880233), [All aircraft, 1,556 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/900/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot reported that he was preparing to land the commercial balloon and was switching the burners' propane tanks when both burner pilot lights extinguished. The pilot tried to reignite a pilot light with the piezoelectric igniter, but, when he pushed the igniter button to generate a spark, it got stuck in the igniter sleeve. The pilot then took out his strikers to manually relight a pilot light, but he still could not relight it. At this point, the balloon was about 150 ft above the ground, and the pilot prepared the passengers for a hard landing. The balloon struck the ground hard, skipped, and traveled about 30 ft before coming to rest. Two passengers sustained leg fractures; the balloon was not damaged. The piezoelectric igniter had an adjustment screw that, if tightened too firmly, can cause the button to stick in the igniter sleeve when actuated. It is likely that the piezoelectric igniter was tightened too firmly, which caused the igniter sleeve to get stuck when the pilot attempted to use it to relight a pilot light. It is also likely that, during the pilot's attempts to manually relight a pilot light with the striker, he positioned the burner such that air moved over it, which prevented the pilot light from relighting. ## Factual narrative On July 25, 2014 about 0740 mountain daylight time, a Cameron A-180 hot air balloon, N65059, made a hard landing near Questa, New Mexico. The pilot and 6 passengers were not injured; however, two additional passengers sustained serious injuries. The balloon was not damaged. The balloon was registered to and operated by the pilot as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight which was being operated without a flight plan. The flight originated at Taos, New Mexico at 0700. The pilot reported that he was preparing to land the commercial balloon and was switching propane tanks to the burners when both burner pilot lights went out. The pilot tried to reignite a burner with the piezoelectric igniter, but when he pushed it in to generate a spark, the igniter failed to light the pilot light and the igniter button got stuck in the igniter sleeve. The pilot took out his strikers to relight the pilot light, but could not get it relit. At this point, the balloon was about 150 feet above the ground and the pilot prepared the passengers for a hard landing. The balloon struck the ground hard, skipped, and traveled about 30 feet before coming to rest. At 0735, the Routine Aviation Weather Report for the Taos Regional Airport, about 7 miles south of the accident site, was wind calm, 10 miles visibility, clear skies, temperature 62 degrees F, dew point 43 degrees F, and altimeter 30.36 inches of mercury. The balloon was equipped with a Cameron Balloons model CB2075-2 Ultra Double burner system. According to the manufacturer, the piezoelectric igniter in the system works on the same principle as an electric igniter on a gas grill; when you depress the button, the igniter produces a spark which will ignite any gas vapor present. A spring within the button pushes it back out of the sleeve after the igniter produces the spark. The piezoelectric igniter has an adjustment screw on the side of the sleeve to provide resistance on the button as it is depressed. If the adjustment screw is tightened too firmly, it can cause the button to stick in the igniter sleeve when actuated. The only time such an adjustment might be made is during an inspection of the burner. There are no specific tolerances for tightness on the adjustment screw. As for why the pilot's attempt to relight the pilot lights using his manual strikers was unsuccessful, the manufacturer stated that depending on how the pilot had the burner gimbaled it could have allowed airflow across the burner in a way that prevented the relight from occurring. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N65059](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N65059-2018-12-06), registration cancelled 2018-12-06, S/N 6624, built 2011 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CAMERON BALLOONS US A-180 - Registry model: [Cameron Balloons US A-180](https://openairdocs.org/model/cameron-balloons-us-a-180) (registry code 1880233) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [NONE](https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (registry code 00000, none) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Balloon - Serial number: 6624 - Year built: 2011 - Airframe hours: 481 - Damage: No damage - Flight: Other work use, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, July 10, 2014, 6 hours before - Departed: Taos, NM - Destination: Taos, NM ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 42; injuries: none; commercial, flight instructor; last flight review July 12, 2013; seat: none; restraint: none; flight hours: 1,399 total, 729 in this make and model, 1,355 as pilot in command, 19 in the last 90 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: calm - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 63 °F, dew point 43 °F - Altimeter: 30.36 inHg - Observed at: SKX, 7 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20140725011579A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140725011579A), Jul 25, 2014: Cameron Balloons US A-180, Taos, NM, No damage. N65059, a Cameron A-180, departed near the Taos gorge with 8 passengers and a PIC. 45 minutes into the flight, in preparation for landing, the PIC switched… ## Docket (6 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 14, 2015, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=89772. 4.9 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 2.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40421120&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Memorandum of Interview - Cameron Balloons (item 2, .PDF, 92 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40421121&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Memorandum%20of%20Interview%20-%20Cameron%20Balloons-Master.PDF - E-mail, Tamara Bell, NM Flight Standards (item 3, .PDF, 47 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40421122&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=E-mail,%20Tamara%20Bell,%20NM%20Flight%20Standards-Redacted.PDF - E-mail, Kevin Wilbur, Tucson Balloon Rides (item 4, .PDF, 247 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40421123&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=E-mail,%20Kevin%20Wilbur,%20Tucson%20Balloon%20Rides-Redacted.PDF - Weather History for Taos, New Mexico (item 5, .PDF, 577 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40421124&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Weather%20History%20for%20Taos,%20New%20Mexico-Master.PDF - Photo 1 - Piezo Electric Igniter Button (item 6, .PDF, 1.9 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40421126&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%201%20-%20Piezo%20Electric%20Igniter%20Button-Master.PDF 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.