- Date
- October 6, 2001, 09:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Albuquerque, NM
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9524UCameron 105
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 29, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20011006030119A
- Case key
- 53636
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
Ther pilot's delay to compensate for changing weather conditions in-flight. Contributing factors were the high winds and an inaccurate weather forcast.
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 was provided a detailed weather briefing prior to the flight which called for light and variable winds. Soon after departure, the winds increased from 4-6 knots to 6-8 knots, gusting to 15 knots. The pilot flew around waiting for winds to subside to no avail. The pilot was forced to land with the prevailing high winds when he started getting low on fuel.
Factual narrative
On October 6, 2001, approximately 0930 mountain daylight time, a Cameron 105 hot-air balloon, N9524U, registered to and operated by the pilot, sustained minor damage during a hard landing while the pilot was attempting a high wind landing near Albuquerque, New Mexico. The private pilot was not injured while 2 of his passengers sustained serious injuries and one was uninjured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The local flight originated from Albuquerque at 0800.
The pilot was provided a detailed weather briefing at 0615. The forecast for the remaining of the morning called for light and variable winds. Soon after departure, the winds increased from 4-6 knots to 6-8 knots, gusting to 15 knots. The pilot flew around waiting for winds to subside to no avail. The pilot was forced to land with the prevailing high winds when he started getting low on fuel.
During the high wind landing, two of the 3 passengers sustained serious injuries.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9524U
- Reported as
- Cameron 105
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 5611
- Engine
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Donald L. Rose
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- ABQ · Albuquerque, NM
- Destination
- ABQ · Albuquerque, 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
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Last flight review
- February 28, 2000
- Flight hours
- 214 total · 214 in this make and model · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 8 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.28 inHg
- Observed at
- ABQ
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.