- Date
- June 21, 2003, 08:00 local (12:00 UTC)
- Place
- Grove City, OH
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N71696Aerostar International RX 8
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 28, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20030621019979A
- Case key
- 57380
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 passengers failure to maintain her balance inside the balloon basket.
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
As the balloon was setting down, the basket "wobbled a little," and a passenger slipped on the floor, breaking her ankle.
Factual narrative
On June 21, 2003, at 0800 eastern daylight time, an Aerostar International Inc. RX 8 balloon, N71696, was not damaged while landing in a field near Grove City, Ohio. The certificated private pilot and a passenger were not injured; however, a second passenger was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the pilot, he was participating in the Big Bear Balloon Festival competition called, "Hare and Hound." As the balloon was setting down, the basket "wobbled a little," and a passenger slipped on the floor, breaking her ankle.
The pilot reported that the winds were calm at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N71696
- Reported as
- Aerostar International RX 8
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 3265
- Airframe hours
- 122
- Engine
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Air race/show · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Eugene Planck
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 12, 2003 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Grove City, OH
- Airport
- 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
- 65
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Last flight review
- July 20, 2002
- Flight hours
- 381 total · 381 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- CMH, 22 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.