- Date
- August 7, 1991, 19:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- New Middletown, OH
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N6044UCameron V-77
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 27, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910807042509A
- Case key
- 36988
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 unfavorable wind (shift) encountered by the balloon during the initial takeoff climb.
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
A hot air balloon with two pilots and one passenger onboard collided with the roof of a barn while on initial takeoff climb. The wind at the time of takeoff was from the north at 7 knots; however, just after liftoff it shifted to the northeast at approximately 15 knots. The wind shift caused the balloon to drift into the barn.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6044U
- Reported as
- Cameron V-77
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 5495
- Airframe hours
- 56
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Jeffery A Bader
- Registered owner
- Jeffery A Bader
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 24, 1991 · 24 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
- 31
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 675 total · 45 in this make and model · 491 as pilot in command · 54 in the last 90 days · 26 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.