- Date
- October 10, 1998, 08:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Albuquerque, NM
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9105ZAerostar RXS8
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 19, 1999
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19981010036789A
- Case key
- 45112
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 high wind condition and the pilot's subsequent intentional hard touchdown. A factor was the small landing area that was available to the pilot.
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, the wind was 2 to 3 knots at the time of launch. As she prepared to land, the wind had increased to 12 to 15 knots. The pilot stated that 'the landing sites in the direction we were heading were small, so I started briefing my passengers about landing.' She further instructed her passengers that, because of the small landing sites available, 'they might need to land with the top out and the propane off.' After clearing several utility lines and trees, the pilot directed a passenger to pull the top out of the balloon and she turned off the propane fuel. The pilot stated that they 'hit the ground firmly and stopped in 20 feet, there was no bounce.' One passenger dislocated her ankle and broke her leg upon impact. The balloon was not damaged.
Factual narrative
On October 10, 1998, approximately 0830 mountain daylight time, an Aerostar RXS8 balloon, N9105Z, was not damaged during a landing near the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Park, Albuquerque, New Mexico. The commercial pilot and one passenger were not injured; however, one passenger was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated 1 hour prior to the accident.
According to the pilot, the wind was 2 to 3 knots at the time of launch. As she prepared to land, the wind had increased to 12 to 15 knots. The pilot stated that "the landing sites in the direction we were heading were small, so I started briefing my passengers about landing." She further instructed her passengers that, because of the small landing sites available, "they might need to land with the top out and the propane off." After clearing several utility lines and trees, the pilot directed a passenger to pull the top out of the balloon and she turned off the propane fuel. The pilot stated that they "hit the ground firmly and stopped in 20 feet, there was no bounce." One passenger dislocated her ankle and broke her leg upon impact.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9105Z
- Reported as
- Aerostar RXS8
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- RXS8-3024
- Airframe hours
- 170
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Mary E. Moore
- Registered owner
- Moore Family Trust
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 13, 1998 · 33 hours before
- Departed
- ABQ · 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
- 47
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Unknown
- Flight hours
- 413 total · 67 in this make and model · 399 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 7 knots
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N9105Z · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.