- Date
- September 21, 2023, 18:50 local (22:50 UTC)
- Place
- Bucyrus, OH
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2067QAvian Balloon Skyhawk
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/ FSDO
- FAA report
- 20230921014749A
- Case key
- 193120
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 pilot’s bounced landing, which resulted in the basket tipping over and a serious injury to a 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
The balloon pilot reported that after a local sightseeing flight, she maneuvered and descended toward the landing zone that was an open field that had power lines nearby. After clearing the power lines, the pilot further descended and just prior to impact she “added a small amount of heat,” however, the basket bounced twice and tipped over onto its side. The pilot then completely deflated the balloon to prevent the basket from getting dragged on the ground. During the bounced landing and basket tip over, one of the passengers fell to the bottom of the basket, which resulted in a serious injury to her right leg. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the balloon that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2067Q
- Reported as
- Avian Balloon Skyhawk (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 207
- Built
- 1999
- Airframe hours
- 350
- Engine
- Avian TURBO 8, unknown
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Balloon
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 5, 2023
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- None
- Equipment
- 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
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Last flight review
- June 24, 2022
- Seat
- None
- Restraint
- None
- Flight hours
- 375 total · 375 in this make and model · 360 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.25 inHg
- Observed at
- MFD, 18 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KMFD 212252Z 09003KT 10SM SCT055 23/13 A3025 RMK AO2 SLP239 T02280133=
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.