- Date
- July 4, 2003, 08:00 local (12:00 UTC)
- Place
- Battle Creek, MI
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8085GCameron Balloons O-77
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 2, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA-Grand Rapids FSDO
- FAA report
- 20030704013849A
- Case key
- 57473
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 excessive descent rate. Factors to the accident were the trees lining the landing area.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
A passenger aboard a personal balloon flight was seriously injured during a hard landing on a hay field. The pilot described the field as having trees at its west and east ends. The pilot reported that as he cleared the western row of trees the balloon's rate of descent was too steep and it landed hard. Recorded winds, 10 miles southwest of the accident site, were from the southwest at 10 knots.
Factual narrative
On July 4, 2003, at 0800 eastern daylight time, a Cameron Balloons O-77, N8085G, encountered a hard landing approximately 10 miles northeast of Battle Creek (BTL), Michigan. The pilot was not injured, but the passenger was seriously injured. The balloon was not damaged. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight departed a field near BTL at 0630. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan was filed.
The pilot reported attending a balloon festival the morning of the accident. The pilot reported that while attempting to land, he felt the rate of descent was more than normal and the approach was too steep. The balloon landed hard, and the passenger sustained serious back injuries.
At 0753, the weather at BTL was reported as: wind 210 degrees at 9 knots.
The pilot reported a total flight time of 250 hours in the make and model of the accident balloon, of which 200 hours were as pilot in command.
The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8085G
- Reported as
- Cameron Balloons O-77
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 6248
- Airframe hours
- 113
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Over the Rainbow, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 18, 2003 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- BTL · Battle Creek, MI
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
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Expired
- Last flight review
- July 21, 2001
- Flight hours
- 250 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.86 inHg
- Observed at
- BTL, 10 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.