- Date
- October 31, 1992, 10:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Sierra Vista, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N666TEThunder and Colt AX7-77
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 21, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921031047049A
- Case key
- 27852
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 flight's encounter with unforecast unfavorable winds.
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 balloon was the last to depart the park. Upon arrival at the destination subdivision the pilot encountered extensive gusting winds. During the initial landing the pilot had to lift off when the balloon preceding it encountered difficulty. The wind velocity increased in intensity. The pilot made several attempts to land, but was unable to do so due to the gusting wind conditions. On the final landing the winds dragged the balloon on touch down until it collided with the wires. The reported wind at an adjacent airfield was from the west at 10 knots gusting to 19 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N666TE
- Reported as
- Thunder and Colt AX7-77
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 1020
- Airframe hours
- 193
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Jacquemin, Patricia C.
- Registered owner
- Jacquemin, Patricia C.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 7, 1992 · 6 hours before
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Flight hours
- 212 total · 193 in this make and model · 197 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 10 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility
- 45 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FHU, 1 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.