- Date
- July 22, 1990, 19:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Schodack, NY
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor, 3 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1994VCameron AX-8
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900722030729A
- Case key
- 36603
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 inflight encounter with unforecast high winds.
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 received a weather briefing prior to departure from flight service and in addition, a pibal was launched to check the winds. After the hot air balloon departed with a pilot and 4 passengers, the winds increased and the flight was cut short. The passengers were briefed on the landing including the importance of hanging onto the basket until it stops. A hard landing was made and the basket dragged over 100 ft prior to stopping. Two elderly passengers (70+) were unable to hang onto the basket and although they stayed in the basket, one received serious injuries (cracked ribs) and the other received minor injuries.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1994V
- Reported as
- Cameron AX-8
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 5308
- Airframe hours
- 232
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- American Balloon Works
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 15, 1990 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- Kinderbook, NY
- 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
- 37
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 613 total · 216 in this make and model · 544 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 63 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.