- Date
- April 11, 1993, 07:45 local (14:45 UTC)
- Place
- Phoenix, AZ
- Injuries
- 8 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N16131Avian Balloon Magnum IX
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 19, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930411022959A
- Case key
- 27983
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 inadequate planned approach to the landing area.
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 said he was landing in a field when the wind dragged the balloon into a river wash area where the envelope contacted some trees and sustained damage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N16131
- Reported as
- Avian Balloon Magnum IX
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 164
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- American Hot Airlines, Inc.
- Registered owner
- American Hot Airlines, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- 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
- 50
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Flight hours
- 300 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.