- Date
- July 20, 1993, 08:45 local (12:45 UTC)
- Place
- Jacksonville, FL
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N45124Head Balloons AX8-105
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 25, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 37373
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 improper procedures by the pilot-in-command.
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 initiated a descent to land in a field but observed a fence in the middle of it & added burner heat to clear the fence. While the balloon was about 15-20 feet above ground level, the pilot then advised one of the passengers who was not a pilot, to pull a red lanyard but did not advise him of the effect of pulling it. The passenger complied and the balloon landed hard resulting in serious injury to a passenger.
Factual narrative
On July 20, 1993, about 0845 eastern daylight time, a Head AX8-105 balloon, N45124, registered to Charles M. Vaughn, dba Balloon Man, landed hard near Jacksonville, Florida, while on a 14 CFR Part 91 sightseeing flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The balloon was not damaged and the pilot and one passenger were not injured. One passenger sustained serious injuries. The flight originated about 0730 from Jacksonville, Florida.
The pilot stated that he initiated a descent to land in a field but observed a fence in the middle of the field. He added burner heat and cleared the fence but according to the passenger, the pilot told him to pull the red lanyard when the balloon was 15-20 feet above ground level. The pilot never advised him of the effect of pulling the red lanyard which opens the deflation panel at the top of the envelope. The other passenger stated that the pilot told her it was going to be a rough landing and while she was sitting down, the balloon landed "like a rock."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N45124
- Reported as
- Head Balloons AX8-105
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 182
- Airframe hours
- 78
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Vaughn, Charles M.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 27, 1992 · 26 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
- 37
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Flight hours
- 657 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- NIP, 6 nm away