# NTSB CEN23LA006: Aerostar International S53A, N9140F, Albuquerque, NM, October 7, 2022

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report
- Date: October 7, 2022, 10:21 local (16:21 UTC)
- Place: Albuquerque, NM
- Coordinates: 35.181582, -106.65216
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.1816&lon=-106.6522&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Landing: Collision during takeoff/land](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/490)
- Highest injury: Serious injuries
- Injuries: 1 serious, 2 uninjured
- Status: Completed
- Report: Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class: Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office: Central Region
- Parties: FAA FSDO
- NTSB case key (mKey): 106086
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN23LA006
- NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/106086/pdf
- NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=106086
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN23LA006

## Probable cause

The pilot’s inability to find a suitable landing area in a critical fuel situation and his decision to land on a highway, which resulted in the balloon impacting a bridge railing and terrain.

## Findings

NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause.

- [Use of equip/info: use of equip/system](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063015): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Aerostar International S53A, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063015/cases.md?model=7487906), [All aircraft, 1,391 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063015/cases.md)
- [Fluids: fuel](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010): Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware · Fluid level (probable cause); cases with it: [Aerostar International S53A, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md?model=7487906), [All aircraft, 1,695 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md)
- [Terrain](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03021000): Environmental issues › Physical environment · Contributed to outcome (probable cause); cases with it: [Aerostar International S53A, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03021000/cases.md?model=7487906), [All aircraft, 267 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03021000/cases.md)
- [Wind: sudden wind shift](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03034010): Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena · Contributed to outcome; cases with it: [Aerostar International S53A, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03034010/cases.md?model=7487906), [All aircraft, 114 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03034010/cases.md)

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Approach: Fuel related](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/190); cases with it: [Aerostar International S53A, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/190/sequence.md?model=7487906), [All aircraft, 361 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/190/sequence.md)
- [Approach: Miscellaneous/other](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/900); cases with it: [Aerostar International S53A, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/900/sequence.md?model=7487906), [All aircraft, 1,556 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/900/sequence.md)
- [Landing: Collision during takeoff/land](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/490) (defining event); cases with it: [Aerostar International S53A, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/490/sequence.md?model=7487906), [All aircraft, 1,309 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/490/sequence.md)

## Analysis

The pilot reported that he was descending to land following a normal balloon flight. About 1,000 ft agl, the wind shifted direction, and the balloon began drifting over areas unsuitable for landing. The balloon had been airborne for an hour and a half, and fuel in the two tanks were about 20 and 35.9 percent respectively. With low fuel becoming critical and few options for a suitable landing site, the pilot elected to land the balloon on a highway. During the landing, the balloon struck a bridge railing and came down in a wooded area next to a river. One of the passengers on board sustained serious injuries. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the balloon that would have precluded normal operations. The pilot reported that he should have landed sooner.

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N9140F](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N9140F), registered now, S/N S53A-3052, built 1998 (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AEROSTAR INTERNATIONAL S53A
- Registry model: [Aerostar International S53A](https://openairdocs.org/model/aerostar-international-s53a) (registry code 7487906) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: [Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG](https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (registry code 99999) (OpenAirDocs)
- Category: Balloon
- Serial number: S53A-3052
- Damage: Minor damage
- Flight: Personal, Part 91
- Registered owner: Steven C. Derebey
- Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Balloon
- Departed: Albuquerque, NM
- Equipment: Unknown

## Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

- Pilot; age 70; injuries: minor; airline transport, commercial, flight engineer; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: sport pilot; last flight review October 2, 2020; seat: none; flight hours: 26,787 total, 200 in this make and model, 26,500 as pilot in command, 10 in the last 90 days, 10 in the last 30 days, 2 in the last 24 hours

## Weather

- Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day
- Wind: variable at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Temperature: 60 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observed at: ABQ, 5 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 20221007016669A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20221007016669A), Oct 7, 2022: Aerostar AERSTR-S53, Albuquerque, NM, Minor damage. On October 7, 2022, at 0930 MST, [privacy data omitted] an Aerostar S-53A balloon, [privacy data omitted] hit a known object while landing. The certificated…

## Docket (5 files)

The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 13, 2023, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=106086. 6.8 MB in all.

- Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 8 pages, 4.8 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14896984&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Derebey%206120.1_Redacted-Rel.pdf
- Pilot interview (item 2, PDF, 1 page, 67 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14897083&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Pilot%20Interview-Rel.pdf
- Photographs (item 3, PDF, 3 pages, 1.2 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14896783&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Aerostar%20S53A%20N9140F%20Photos-Rel.pdf
- E-mail, balloon inspection (item 4, PDF, 2 pages, 188 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14897010&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=RE_%20N9140F%20Accident%20Info_Redacted-Rel.pdf
- FAA inspector's accident notes (item 5, PDF, 1 page, 580 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14897194&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=N9140F%20FAA%20Inspector%27s%20Notes_Redacted-Rel.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.

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