- Date
- April 16, 2012, 08:15 local (12:15 UTC)
- Place
- Clermont, FL
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N990BRUltramagic N425
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Cabin safety event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 13, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20120416007469I
- Case key
- 83601
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 passenger's failure to maintain her grip during landing, which resulted in a fall and injury to another passenger.
Findings · 2
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
At the completion of a balloon flight, the balloon touched down while moving at 4 mph and bounced. An adult passenger did not maintain her grip on the hand-holds and fell into another passenger, breaking that passenger’s wrist. According to the operator, the multi-passenger, partition-basket balloon was used for sightseeing flights. The passengers were given a briefing card and briefed at the operator's facility before being bused to the launch site, where a more detailed briefing was provided by the balloon’s pilot. The items briefed included the location of hand-holds and the proper stance at touchdown.
Factual narrative
According to the operator, the multi-passenger, partition-basket balloon was used for sightseeing flights in central Florida. The passengers were given a briefing card and briefed at the operator's facility, prior to being bused out to the launch site where a more detailed briefing was provided by the pilot of each balloon. The items briefed included the location of hand-holds and proper stance at touchdown. At the completion of its flight, the accident balloon touched down at 4 miles per hour. An adult passenger then fell into her child, breaking the child's wrist.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N990BR
- Reported as
- Ultramagic N425 (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- N425-52
- Airframe hours
- 50
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- Damien Mahony
- Registered owner
- Ian R. Swift
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 29, 2011
- Departed
- Orlando, FL
- Destination
- Clermont, FL
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
- 36
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Flight hours
- 1,600 total · 50 in this make and model · 1,550 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 10, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.8 MB 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.