- Date
- October 20, 1991, 08:45 local (12:45 UTC)
- Place
- Trenton, NJ
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 4 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4057HAerostar Raven S-60
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 23, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911020062689A
- Case key
- 37095
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
Excessive descent rate by the pilot in command. A factor was overloading of the 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
During the landing phase following a pleasure flight, the pilot allowed an excessive descent rate and the basket struck the ground and turned over. The four passengers were jostled in the basket which was designed for two occupants.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4057H
- Reported as
- Aerostar Raven S-60
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- S60A-187
- Airframe hours
- 370
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Aire, Harrison
- Registered owner
- Aire, Harrison
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 1991
- Departed
- Ringoes, NJ
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
- 29
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Flight hours
- 45 total · 45 in this make and model · 6 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.