- Date
- July 24, 2004, 09:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- Middletown, OH
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N15053Avian Falcon II
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 28, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20040724028149A
- Case key
- 59742
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 passenger's inadvertent fall from the basket, during landing. A factor in this accident was the windy conditions.
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
After about a 1 hour flight, the pilot elected to land the balloon in an open field. He noticed that the surface winds had increased to about 11 to 12 knots, and briefed the passenger prior to landing. The balloon touched down in the field, and began to drag along the ground. The basket tipped forward, and the passenger fell out of the basket. The balloon became airborne again, cleared a tree line, and touched down in an adjacent field. The balloon envelope came to rest draped over a power line. The passenger stated she was briefed by the pilot prior to landing; however, she was unable to hold on. Winds reported at an airport located about 16 miles northeast of the accident site, were from 050 degrees at 10 knots.
Factual narrative
On July 24, 2004, about 0930 eastern daylight time, an Avian Falcon II balloon, N15053, sustained minor damage while landing in a field near Middletown, Ohio. The certificated private pilot was not injured, and a passenger sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The pilot and passenger were participating in the Ohio Challenge Balloon Festival. According to the pilot, after about a 1 hour flight, he elected to land in an open field. The pilot noticed that the surface winds had increased to about 11 to 12 knots, and briefed the passenger prior to landing. The balloon touched down in the field, and began to drag along the ground. The basket tipped forward, and the passenger fell out of the basket. The balloon became airborne again, cleared a tree line, and touched down in an adjacent field. The balloon envelope came to rest draped over a power line.
The passenger sustained a fractured rib, and three spinal compressions.
During an interview, the passenger stated she was briefed by the pilot prior to landing; however, she was unable to hold on. She added that she believed the basket may have contacted a fence during the landing.
In a follow-up interview, the pilot stated that the balloon touched down just beyond a single strand electric fence. The basket then tipped over, as it was being dragged by the wind.
Winds reported at an airport located about 16 miles northeast of the accident site, at 0853, were from 050 degrees at 10 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N15053
- Reported as
- Avian Falcon II
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 108
- Airframe hours
- 13
- Engine
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert L. Rice
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 5, 2003 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- Middletown, OH
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
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Flight hours
- 155 total · 155 in this make and model · 136 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.27 inHg
- Observed at
- MGY
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.