- Date
- August 1, 2019, 20:00 local (Aug 2, 2019, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Hume, NY
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 8 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6533QCameron A 210
- Defining event
- Landing: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 11, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190801016279A
- Case key
- 100002
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 a proper descent rate during landing, which resulted in a hard landing and a serious passenger injury.
Findings · 3
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 pilot reported that, after the balloon encountered a thermal en route, he decided to land it in a hayfield surrounded by a wooded area. He added that the balloon was "driven down into the tree branches," and when over the hayfield, it descended and bounced hard to about 10 ft as he deflated the envelope. The balloon landed hard again and then deflated. One passenger sustained serious injuries. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the balloon that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The balloon pilot reported that, after encountering a thermal en route, he decided to land the balloon in a hayfield surrounded by a wooded area. The balloon was "driven down into the tree branches" and, when over the hayfield, the balloon descended and bounced hard. The balloon bounced about 10 ft as he deflated the envelope. The balloon landed hard once more and deflated. One passenger received serious injuries. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the balloon that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6533Q
- Reported as
- Cameron A 210 (No Series)
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 6617
- Built
- 2011
- Airframe hours
- 477.6
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Balloon
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 16, 2019
- Destination
- Letchworth, NY
- 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
- Commercial
- Last flight review
- March 27, 2019
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- None
- Flight hours
- 2,690 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 2,690 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.18 inHg
- Observed at
- KOLE, 17 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 23, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.9 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.