- Date
- July 17, 2007, 07:15 local (13:15 UTC)
- Place
- Custer, SD
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 12 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5069BAerostar International S81A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 28, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20070717825719I
- Case key
- 67467
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 high wind during landing. Contributing to the accident was the encounter with adverse weather during the flight.
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
The pilot reported that at the time of the balloon launch, the winds were calm, but during landing the winds were "a little stronger than forecast but nothing unusual for the Hills..." He stated that he briefed the passengers for a windy landing, and the balloon landed "...going to 10-12 mph." The basket then tipped over on its side and slid 20 feet across grass and a "few" rocks. The passenger reportedly received a broken ankle during landing.
Factual narrative
On July 17, 2007, at 0715 mountain daylight time, an Aerostar International Inc. S81A, N5069B, was being operated as a sightseeing flight when a passenger sustained serious injuries during landing near Custer, South Dakota. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed on the day of the accident. The 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot and 11 other passengers were uninjured. The local flight originated at 0630 near Custer, South Dakota.
The pilot provided a written statement in which he states that at the time of the balloon launch, the winds were calm, but during landing the winds were "a little stronger than forecast but nothing unusual for the Hills... ." He stated that he briefed the passengers for a windy landing, and the balloon landed "...going to 10-12 mph." The basket then tipped over on its side and slid 20 feet across grass and a "few" rocks.
The passenger reportedly received a broken ankle during landing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5069B
- Reported as
- Aerostar International S81A
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- S81A-3016
- Airframe hours
- 148.1
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Black Hills Balloons Inc
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 1, 2006
- Departed
- Custer, SD
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
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Last flight review
- July 1, 2006
- Flight hours
- 1,979 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.88 inHg
- Observed at
- RAP
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.