- Date
- May 17, 1983, 20:20 local (May 18, 1983, 01:20 UTC)
- Place
- Stockbridge, MI
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N37SPSchaffer-Provencher UW
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830517021129A
- Case key
- 11993
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 balloon landed downslope at about 7 KTS in a rip/drag landing without ground assistance. One of the two passengers was on the downslope side of the basket facing the direction of landing. She lost her grip on the top rail of the basketduring touchdown and got her arm caught between ground and basket. Her arm was broken during the 15 yard drag. Pilot's recommendations included better briefing of passengers on hand holds and positioning upwind away from landing direction in basket prior to touchdown.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N37SP
- Reported as
- Schaffer-Provencher UW
- Category
- Balloon
- Airframe hours
- 103
- Engine
- None, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Schaffer David F.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 5, 1983 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Chelsea, MI
- Destination
- NONE · Stockbridge, 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
- 35
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Flight hours
- 479 total · 80 in this make and model · 3 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 167° at 7 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility
- 17 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.