CHI96LA102

The pilot said in preparation for landing, she was executing some touchdowns with the balloon. During one of the touchdowns, her ankle fractured. The pilot rated passenger then took control and landed the balloon. The physician, who treated the pilot, reported that she had reduced calcium levels in her bones.

On February 25 1996, at 1745 central standard time (cst), a Balloon Works, Firefly 7-15, N2598H, free air balloon, was involved in a landing accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal 14 CFR Part 91 flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot sustained a broken ankle during the landing. The passenger was uninjured. The flight departed at 1645 cst on the local flight.

The pilot was contacted by telephone on March 7, 1996, by the investigator in charge (IIC). The pilot said in preparation for landing she was executing some touchdowns with the balloon. The pilot said that during one of the touchdowns her ankle broke. The pilot said she told the pilot rated passenger that he would have to land the balloon, because she had broken her ankle. The pilot said, the passenger thought the pilot was kidding about the broken ankle. The pilot said she reaffirmed to the passenger that her ankle was broken, and that he would have to land the balloon. The pilot said she had made many landings much harder than the accident landing on this flight, and was unsure of the reason for the broken ankle. The pilot said that there were no malfunctions with the balloon.

The pilot was treated by a physician on the evening of February 25, 1996. The physician who treated the pilot wrote that the pilot had soft bone quality.