- Date
- August 7, 1990, 07:45 local (14:45 UTC)
- Place
- Napa, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 5 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9112RThunder and Colt AX9-140 SLI
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900807031119A
- Case key
- 26884
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
Flight's encounter with a probable microburst weather phenomena with down drafts and winds beyond the performance capability 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
Seventeen balloons launched from various locations around the Napa valley for local sightseeing flights. Statements from pilots, passengers and ground witnesses said that while the balloons were in normal drifting flight a microburst like condition suddenly occurred which affected all of the balloons. The weather phenomena encountered included strong gusting surface and aloft winds in addition to severe down drafts. The balloons were rapidly forced toward the ground as their ground speed increased radically. The pilots of several balloons reported that the shapes of their balloon envelopes were severely distorted by the sudden movement of the airmass. Eight of the 17 balloons attempted forced landings. Four of the balloons successfully landed. The other four balloons collided with obstructions and the ground during the attempted landings. At the time of the incident, a large thunderstorm was reported 30 miles to the north.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9112R
- Reported as
- Thunder and Colt AX9-140 SLI (AX9-140 SL)
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 996
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Balloon Aviation Of Napa Valle
- Departed
- NONE
- Destination
- 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
- 42
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Flight hours
- 4,030 total · 60 in this make and model · 4,000 as pilot in command · 63 in the last 90 days · 23 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 30,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- APC
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N9112R · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.