- Date
- October 8, 2000, 08:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Inyokern, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N52233Galaxy Balloons Galaxy 7
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 2, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20001008031339A
- Case key
- 50442
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 hard landing during a high wind condition.
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 anticipated encountering a light 2 to 4 mph wind during the flight with fare-paying passengers. During the flight the wind speed increased. After flying for 35 minutes, the pilot landed in a 12 mph wind.
Factual narrative
On October 8, 2000, about 0800 hours Pacific daylight time, a Galaxy Balloons, Inc., Galaxy 7, N52233, owned and operated by the pilot, made a hard landing about 5 miles southeast of Inyokern, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the aerial sightseeing flight. The balloon sustained minor damage, and the commercial certificated pilot was seriously injured. One of the fare-paying passengers received a minor injury, and one passenger was not injured. The flight was performed under 14 CFR Part 91, and originated from Inyokern about 0715.
The pilot reported to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that on takeoff the wind was, as forecast, between 2 and 4 miles per hour (mph). During the flight the wind direction changed, and its speed increased. After about 20 minutes of flight, the pilot attempted to land but aborted the attempt in the prevailing 5 to 6 mph wind. The pilot reported that he then flew for another 15 minutes and landed in a 12 mph wind.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N52233
- Reported as
- Galaxy Balloons Galaxy 7
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- GLX-1627
- Airframe hours
- 504
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Jeffrey J. Wages
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 2000 · 26 hours before
- Departed
- IYK · CA
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
- 41
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Flight hours
- 290 total · 287 in this make and model · 283 as pilot in command · 21 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 135 °F, dew point 118 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PMD, 60 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.