- Date
- October 9, 2004, 08:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Albuquerque, NM
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 3 minor, 3 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N784TCThunder and Colt 180A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 24, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20041009024269A
- Case key
- 60326
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 balloon pilot's improper in-flight planning and failure to maintain aircraft control during descent into high winds resulting in a hard landing and subsequent serious injury to a passenger. Factors contributing to the accident were the high winds and excessive descent rate.
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
According to the pilot, during the hot air balloon's descent, he noticed that the surface winds had increased to approximately 18 knots. The pilot prepared his passengers for a high-wind landing. The balloon landed hard and bounced. One passenger, who remained in the balloon's basket, received a broken ankle. A second passenger, who remained in the basket, and two passengers who were ejected from the basket, each received minor cuts and scratches. The balloon was not damaged.
Factual narrative
On October 9, 2004, at approximately 0830 mountain daylight time, a Thunder & Colt 180A hot air balloon, N784TC, operated by High But Dry Balloon's, Inc., sustained a hard landing near Albuquerque, New Mexico. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The sightseeing flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The balloon was not damaged. However, one passenger received serious injuries and three passengers received minor injuries. The pilot and two other passengers on board were not injured. The flight originated at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Park, Albuquerque, New Mexico, at approximately 0710.
The pilot stated that, during the descent, he noticed that the surface winds had increased to approximately 18 knots. The pilot prepared his passengers for a high-wind landing by having them tow their cameras, get down in the bottom of the basket, and hold on to the handles inside the basket. The balloon landed hard and bounced. One passenger, who remained in the balloon's basket, received a broken ankle. A second passenger, who remained in the basket, and two passengers who were ejected from the basket, each received minor cuts and scratches.
At 0856, the recorded wind condition at Albuquerque International Airport (ABQ), (9 nautical miles at 195 degrees, elevation 5,355 feet msl), was: wind, 350 degrees at 9 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N784TC
- Reported as
- Thunder and Colt 180A
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 2437
- Airframe hours
- 176
- Engine
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- High But Dry Balloon's, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 5, 2004 · 29 hours before
- Departed
- Albuquerque, NM
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
- 32
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Last flight review
- August 16, 2003
- Flight hours
- 345 total · 345 in this make and model · 329 as pilot in command · 21 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.28 inHg
- Observed at
- KABQ, 9 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.