CEN19TA328

Following a revenue sightseeing flight, the pilot landed the balloon hard in an open pasture, then the basket tipped over and was dragged by the balloon about 20 ft before it came to a stop. The pilot stated that after the accident, he saw one of his adult male passengers laying on top of his elderly mother in the bottom of the basket. The 85-year-old female passenger sustained serious injuries.

On August 23, 2019, about 0800 central daylight time, a Lindstrand 105A balloon, N7172D, had a hard landing in a pasture near Lawton, Oklahoma. The commercial pilot and 3 of his passengers were not injured, 1 passenger was seriously injured, and the balloon was not damaged. The balloon was registered to and operated by a private individual as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 business flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the revenue sightseeing balloon flight that departed a field located about 6 miles southeast of the accident site at 0720. The pilot reported that he provided a preflight briefing to his 4 passengers, during which he identified where the basket handles/ropes were located and demonstrated how to properly brace for a landing with bent knees. The pilot reported that he made a normal takeoff with a surface wind from the southeast at 6-7 knots. The pilot stated that the balloon climbed to 1,300 ft and achieved a maximum ground speed of about 10 knots during the 40 minute flight. The pilot reported that as they approached the festival site their intended landing zone was not possible due to the wind direction, and that he continued to fly toward an open pasture located about 200 yards north of the Apache Casino Hotel. The pilot stated that as the balloon approached the alternate landing zone the bottom rear edge of basket briefly contacted the top of a 15 ft high mobile light tower; however, the mobile light tower was not knocked over or damaged. The pilot then began to vent the balloon for a landing and reminded the passengers to keep their hands inside the basket, and to bend their knees for landing. The pilot noted that one of his adult passengers had wrapped his arms around his elderly mother before landing. The pilot stated that the basket made a firm landing but did not bounce. The pilot reported that the basket tipped over onto its side upon landing and was dragged by the balloon about 20 ft before it came to a stop. The pilot stated that he heard the elderly passenger scream upon landing, and after the basket came to a stop he saw the son laying on top of his mother in the bottom of the basket. One of the passengers called 911 who dispatched paramedics to assist with the injured passenger. The paramedics evaluated the injured passenger before they assisted her out of the basket and to a standing position. The injured passenger was transported to a local hospital for additional evaluation and treatment. According to hospital discharge records, the 85-year-old female passenger sustained a fractured right ankle, a fractured left hand, and a laceration of the right hand that required sutures.