- Date
- October 5, 1985, 23:15 local (Oct 6, 1985, 05:15 UTC)
- Place
- Pecos, NM
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N59SPSkypower GBN-41-100
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851005054519A
- Case key
- 16871
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
Flt was participation in the 1985 balloon fiesta, a night helium-filled balloon race from albuquerque, new Mexico, to elkhart, Kansas. One hr after launch plt encountered small wind shear, causing loss of altitude, ballast, and helium. Plt then encountered rain, snow, ice and severe wind shear. Ice caused balloon to descend. All ballast was thrown overboard, as was communications and survival equipment. Balloon cleared one peak but crashed into east side of Pecos-baldy mountain at the 10,900-FT level. Plts walked out of wilderness area the next afternoon with minor injuries and frostbite.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N59SP
- Reported as
- Skypower GBN-41-100
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 121
- Airframe hours
- 16
- Engine
- None NONE, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Dr. James O. Jones
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 1985 · 16 hours before
- Departed
- Albuquerque, NM
- Destination
- Elkhart, KS
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
- 38
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Expired
- Flight hours
- 250 as pilot in command · 16 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 340° at 2 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.