- Date
- May 21, 1994, 08:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Durango, CO
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1992BCameron V-77
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 7, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 19065
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 pilot did not attain a proper level off during landing. A downdraft which was encountered was a factor.
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
During the landing sequence following a commercial air tour flight, a downdraft was encountered and the balloon landed hard. This landing caused the commercial pilot to break her ankle and one passenger was ejected. The balloon became airborne following this landing and ascended to approximately 800 feet. A second landing was made, which according to the pilot aggravated her previous ankle injury. The balloon chase crew picked up the ejected passenger and called emergency services to assist the pilot. The ejected passenger sustained minor injuries during the ejection.
Factual narrative
On May 21, 1994, at 0800 mountain daylight time, a Cameron U. S. V-77 hot air balloon, N1992B, sustained no damage in a hard landing. The pilot suffered serious injuries, one passenger minor injuries, and the second passenger no injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for this local area air tour business flight. The flight originated in Durango, Colorado, at 0710.
According to the pilot, she was descending the balloon for a landing in calm winds when a downdraft was encountered. The balloon landed hard and one passenger was ejected from the basket. It then became airborne and ascended to approximately 800 feet above ground level and drifted to the east. A second landing was made in a field and emergency personnel were called to treat the pilot and one passenger. The pilot said she broke her ankle in the initial hard landing and injured it further in the second landing.
All three persons aboard were transported to local medical facilities for evaluation and treatment as required.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1992B
- Reported as
- Cameron V-77
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 5281
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Donahower, Karen H.
- Registered owner
- Donahower, Karen H.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 30, 1994
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
- 27
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Unknown
- Flight hours
- 153 total · 153 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 16 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DRO, 7 nm away