- Date
- July 4, 1995, 07:45 local (13:45 UTC)
- Place
- Santa Fe, NM
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5402VThunder and Colt AX7-77
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 16, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950704040379A
- Case key
- 19474
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's improper planning for the high wind landing. Factors were the unfavorable winds and the tree stump.
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 pilot was attempting a high wind landing with 2 passengers onboard when the basket struck a tree stump and dumped the pilot out of the basket. The balloon lifted off with the 2 passengers still onboard, striking the roof of a house. The ground crew radioed the passengers to pull the canopy lanyard, the passengers followed their instructions and the balloon landed without further incident.
Factual narrative
On July 4, 1995, at 0745 mountain daylight time, a Thunder AX7-77, N5402V, was undamaged while landing near Santa Fe, New Mexico. The commercial pilot was seriously injured and the two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local balloon flight.
During interviews, conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the pilot and the ground crew stated that the pilot was making a "high wind landing." The basket impacted a tree stump and tipped the basket over, dumping the pilot out of the basket. The balloon became airborne again with its two passengers and struck the roof of a residence. The ground crew instructed the passengers, by radio, to pull the crown rope and release the hot air. The balloon subsequently landed safely.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5402V
- Reported as
- Thunder and Colt AX7-77
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- N5402V
- Airframe hours
- 33
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James J. Mcbride
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 25, 1994 · 7 hours before
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
- 60
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 4,960 total · 123 in this make and model · 4,500 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.