- Date
- June 21, 1989, 07:45 local (13:45 UTC)
- Place
- Rio Rancho, NM
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 1 minor, 6 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4207URaven S77A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 22, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890621017069A
- Case key
- 17728
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
A hard landing due to the pilots failure to accurately evaluate the weather conditions along with a delay in making a precautionary landing. Factors contributing to the accident were high winds and wind shear along with rough/uneven terrain.
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 pilot took off with 8 passengers on a sightseeing flight. Later into the flight, the winds started to increase and suitable landing areas became scarce. The pilot decided to land on a mesa. She said she gave the passengers two high wind landing briefings. During the ensuing hard landing, one passenger sustained a fractured arm and another passenger fractured a foot. The balloon was not damaged. Albuquerque, NM, at 0750 MDT reported the wind from 220 degrees at 10 KTS with no gusts. This was 15 NM from the accident site where the plt rept 15KT winds with gusts to 20 KTS and a low level wind shear.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4207U
- Reported as
- Raven S77A
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- S77A-108
- Airframe hours
- 278
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- World Balloon Corporation
- Registered owner
- World Balloon Corp.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 3, 1989 · 29 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Albuquerque, NM
- Destination
- NONE
- Airport
- NONE
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Flight hours
- 830 total · 219 in this make and model · 815 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ABQ, 15 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.