- Date
- April 13, 2008, 07:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Buckeye, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 10 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N35EXUltramagic N-250
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 28, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20080413835969A
- Case key
- 67839
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 passenger's failure to hear and follow the pilot's instructions to get down in the bottom of the balloon basket before the high wind landing. A contributing factor was the high wind condition.
Findings · 2
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 stated that prior to departing for the sightseeing flight in the balloon, he gave the 10 passengers a safety briefing. The briefing included instructions on hard landings, which were to hang onto a handle and stay low in the basket. During the flight, the winds increased, and the pilot estimated there was an 18- to 20-mph wind blowing for the landing. Prior to landing, he warned the passengers it would be a "hard rough landing." When the balloon was on final approach, he told the passengers to "grab handles, get down, get way down, stay down." The balloon contacted the ground and was dragged 50 to 70 yards. During the ground drag, the pilot heard one of the passengers yell out that her nose was broken. She had bumped her face on the rail getting down. Additionally, she sustained a broken wrist. Later, the passenger told the pilot that she had "wanted to look, and did not get down in time." The injured passenger reported that before takeoff, the pilot told the passengers, "if I tell you it's going to be rough, get down in the bottom of the basket." The passenger did not recall whether the pilot told the passengers it was going to be rough before the landing. It was a rough landing, and her son, who was also a passenger, pulled her into the bottom of the basket.
Factual narrative
In a telephone interview, the pilot stated that prior to departing for the sightseeing flight in the balloon, he gave the 10 passengers a safety briefing. The briefing included instructions on hard landings, which were to hang onto a handle and stay low in the basket. During the flight, the winds increased, and the pilot estimated there was an 18- to 20-mph wind blowing for the landing. Prior to landing, he warned the passengers it would be a "hard rough landing." When the balloon was on final approach, he told the passengers to "grab handles, get down, get way down, stay down." The balloon contacted the ground and was dragged 50 to 70 yards. During the ground drag, the pilot heard one of the passengers yell out that her nose was broken. She had bumped her face on the rail getting down. Additionally, she sustained a broken wrist. Later, the passenger told the pilot that she had "wanted to look, and did not get down in time."
During a telephone interview, the injured passenger reported that before takeoff, the pilot told the passengers, "if I tell you it's going to be rough, get down in the bottom of the basket." The passenger did not recall whether the pilot told the passengers it was going to be rough before the landing. It was a rough landing, and her son, who was also a passenger, pulled her into the bottom of the basket.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N35EX
- Reported as
- Ultramagic N-250
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 250/30
- Engine
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- Hot Air Expeditions
- Registered owner
- Mars Leasing Co Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Buckeye, AZ
- Destination
- Buckeye, AZ
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
- Single-engine land
- Flight hours
- 8,000 total · 150 in this make and model · 61 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.