- Date
- September 1, 2010, 19:25 local (23:25 UTC)
- Place
- Hanover, NH
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 6 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2267UHead Balloons AX9 118
- Defining event
- Landing: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report May 11, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA Portland FSDO
- FAA report
- 20100901043419A
- Case key
- 77184
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's encounter with an updraft, resulting in an immediate landing and an intentional collision with a tree.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot stated that he was conducting a sightseeing flight just prior to sunset when the balloon encountered updrafts. He elected to land in the back yard of a private residence and initiated a descent. He allowed the basket of the balloon to contact the top of the trees to slow down his forward momentum, in an effort to make the landing area. Upon clearing the trees, he observed powerlines in the vicinity and aborted the landing. The pilot immediately selected another backyard for his touchdown point. He observed another large tree and allowed the basket to contact the tree and the basket descended upright next to the tree. The canopy received a minor tear and one passenger sustained a fractured wrist during the landing.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that he was conducting a sight seeing flight just prior to sunset and the balloon encountered some updrafts. He elected to land in the back yard of a private residence and initiated a descent. He allowed the basket of the balloon to contact the top of the trees to slow down his forward momentum, in order to make the landing area. Upon clearing the trees, he observed power lines and aborted the landing. The pilot immediately selected another backyard for his touchdown point. He observed another large tree and allowed the basket to contact the tree and the basket descended upright next to the tree. The canopy received a minor tear and one passenger sustained a fractured wrist during the landing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2267U
- Reported as
- Head Balloons AX9 118
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 363
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Daoust Darrek N
- Registered owner
- Daoust Darrek N
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Quechee, VT
- Destination
- Quechee, VT
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
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 3, 2009
- Flight hours
- 953 total · 179 in this make and model · 953 as pilot in command · 74 in the last 90 days · 24 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 160° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.94 inHg
- Observed at
- LEB
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 14, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 475 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.