- Date
- October 6, 1997, 08:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Albuquerque, NM
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N63459Aerostar S-60A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 4, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19971006030509A
- Case key
- 20550
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 failure to maintain control of the balloon.
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
According to the pilot, after landing following a flight of about one hour, the balloon was on the ground for about 5 minutes when it was struck by a gust of wind and lifted off. The balloon drifted downwind into the side of a house, cracked the wall of the house and tore the swamp cooler off the roof. The balloon sustained substantial damage to the metal frame on the basket. No wind gusts were recorded during the time frame encompassing the accident, and the recorded wind was 5 knots.
Factual narrative
On October 6, 1997, at 0830 mountain daylight time, an Aerostar S-60A balloon, N63459, sustained substantial damage during an unplanned takeoff at Albuquerque, New Mexico. The commercial balloon pilot and his four passengers were not injured and substantial damage was done to a residence which the balloon struck. The flight was a personal local area flight operating under Title 14 CFR Part 91 and no flight plan was filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
The pilot reported the accident to the Safety Board on March 13, 1998. It had been reported to the FAA on October 8, 1997. No reason for the delay could be confirmed.
According to the pilot, after a flight of one hour, the balloon landed in a field. The balloon came to a stop and remained at rest for approximately 5 minutes at which time it was hit by a gust of wind which lifted it and carried it down wind into the side of a house. A wall of the house was cracked and the swamp cooler on the roof was torn off. The pilot said the balloon landed a short time later.
Reported wind at the time was from 015 degrees magnetic at 5 knots. No gusts were recorded during the time period encompassing the accident.
An examination of the balloon by an FAA airworthiness inspector provided evidence that the metal framework of the basket had sustained damage necessitating major repairs.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N63459
- Reported as
- Aerostar S-60A
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- S60A-3156
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ronald E. Hensley
- Registered owner
- Mike E. Slaten
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Rio Rancho, 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
- 35
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Flight hours
- 168 total · 143 in this make and model · 153 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 15° at 5 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 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.