- Date
- November 13, 2011, 09:10 local (17:10 UTC)
- Place
- Vacaville, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 14 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N65400Cameron Balloons A-315
- Defining event
- Landing: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 6, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20111113027009A
- Case key
- 82300
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 balloon’s encounter with increased wind, which resulted in a hard landing and passenger injury.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot and passengers were on a local area flight in a hot air balloon. Prior to departure, the pilot conducted a preflight orientation for the passengers, which included proper positioning in the basket during landing. According to the pilot, upon departure, the wind was from the south at 5 knots; however, when he returned for a landing, the wind had increased to 10 knots. The balloon's descent rate near the surface was 30 feet per minute. Upon contact with the ground, the balloon basket slid about 40 to 50 feet before impacting a 6- to 8-inch curb. The basket stopped abruptly and fell over. One of the passengers sustained a broken leg during the landing. The pilot's ground crew reported that the passenger was not against the downwind basket side at the time of ground contact. The pilot indicated that prior to departure, he will now require passengers to demonstrate their landing positioning so that he can ensure their understanding.
Factual narrative
The pilot and his passengers were on a local area flight in a hot air balloon. Prior to departure, the pilot conducted a preflight orientation for the passengers which included proper positioning in the basket during landing. Upon departure the winds were from the south at 5 knots. During landing, the pilot noted that the winds had increased to 10 knots. The balloon's descent rate near the surface was 30 feet per minute. Upon contact with the ground, the balloon basket slid approximately 40 to 50 feet before impacting a 6 to 8-inch curb. The basket stopped abruptly and fell over. One of the passengers sustained a broken leg during the landing. The pilot's ground crew reported that the passenger was not against the downwind basket side at the time of ground contact. The pilot indicated that prior to departure, he will now require passengers to demonstrate their landing positioning so that he can ensure their understanding.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N65400
- Reported as
- Cameron Balloons A-315
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 6596
- Airframe hours
- 237
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Operator
- Napa Valley Balloons Inc
- Registered owner
- Napa Valley Balloons Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 13, 2011 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- Winters, CA
- Destination
- Vacaville, CA
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
- 62
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Last flight review
- April 17, 2011
- Flight hours
- 5,790 total · 275 in this make and model · 5,760 as pilot in command · 75 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
- Observed at
- VCB, 1 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 7, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.3 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.