- Date
- November 15, 1994, 08:05 local (15:05 UTC)
- Place
- Peoria, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 7 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N738TCThunder and Colt TC-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 4, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19941115040309A
- Case key
- 28981
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 unforecasted high winds which resulted in a hard landing.
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 obtained a wx briefing before departing on the accident flight. The forecasted surface winds were less than 10 knots. The sightseeing balloon flight encountered high surface winds while in cruise flight. The pilot elected to execute a precautionary landing in an open area and briefed his passengers on a high wind landing. On the initial touchdown, the balloon bounced. On the second touchdown, about 20 yards from the initial touchdown point, the winds dragged the balloon about 100 yards before coming to a stop. One passenger sustained a fractured hip. The pilot and the remaining six passengers were not injured. At the time of the accident, calm winds prevailed at phoenix sky harbor airport which is 25 miles southeast of the accident site. The pilot reported that the winds were from the north at 15 knots.
Factual narrative
On November 15, 1994, at 0805 hours mountain standard time, a Thundercolt TC-180 hot air balloon, N738TC, sustained a hard landing on 51st Street, south of the Carefree Freeway, at Peoria, Arizona. The pilot was conducting a local visual flight rules sightseeing balloon flight. The balloon, operated by Joseph Fendler, d.b.a. "A Balloon Experience," sustained substantial damage. The certificated commercial pilot and six passengers were not injured; one passenger sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated 20 miles north of downtown Phoenix, Arizona, at 0705 hours.
The pilot called the National Transportation Safety Board and reported this accident on November 16, 1994. He said that he obtained a preflight briefing from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Prescott [Arizona] Automated Flight Service Station. He said the briefer told him that the surface winds were forecasted to be between 6 and 7 knots until 0900 hours.
After departing on the accident flight, the pilot observed that the upper and surface winds began to increase. The pilot elected to execute a precautionary landing. During the landing, the surface winds were from the north at 15 knots. On the touchdown, the balloon bounced and then landed about 20 yards from the initial touchdown point. The surface winds then dragged the basket about 100 yards before coming to a stop.
The pilot said that the balloon operated normally and that he had prepared the passengers and the balloon for a high wind landing. The balloon did not experience any preimpact malfunctions or failures.
The pilot also said that the balloon envelope sustained some minor tears. The basket sustained substantial frame and wicker damage.
The accident site is about 25 miles north of Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (PHX), Phoenix, Arizona. PHX reported surface winds at 0756 hours were calm.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N738TC
- Reported as
- Thunder and Colt TC-180
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 2292
- Airframe hours
- 183
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Joe Fendelr
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 20, 1994 · 88 hours before
- Departed
- Phoenix, AZ
- Destination
- 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
- 45
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Flight hours
- 1,106 total · 126 in this make and model · 1,073 as pilot in command · 64 in the last 90 days · 31 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 28.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PHX, 25 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.
Other investigations on N738TC · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.