- Date
- August 3, 2020, 08:13 local (14:13 UTC)
- Place
- Jackson, WY
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 8 minor, 10 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N12171Cameron A 315
- Defining event
- Landing: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- FAA report
- 20200803014299A
- Case key
- 101783
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 pilot’s inability to maintain the proper descent rate during the balloon’s approach to landing during un-forecasted weather, which resulted in a hard landing.
Findings · 3
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 balloon pilot reported that while on final approach to land, about 20 ft above the ground, he saw two balloons he was following, both on their final approaches, suddenly reverse direction, by a strong wind from the southwest. Shortly after, the accident balloon lifted about 50 ft above the ground, followed by a downdraft. The pilot maneuvered the balloon to land and activated both burners to cushion the landing. When the descent rate was less than 500 ft per minute, he deactivated the burners and shouted to the passengers to “hold on” and pulled the quick vent deflate line before touchdown. The balloon landed hard, skidded on its side about 300 ft, and came to rest against an irrigation ditch embankment. The balloon sustained substantial damage to the envelope and a passenger sustained a serious injury. The balloon pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures to the balloon that would have precluded normal operation. A weather study revealed that the weather encountered by the balloon flight was not forecasted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N12171
- Reported as
- Cameron A 315 (No Series)
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 6453
- Built
- 2006
- Airframe hours
- 461.7
- Engines
- Cameron Sirocco, liquid rocketCameron Sirocco, liquid rocketCameron Sirocco, liquid rocketCameron Sirocco, liquid rocket
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Wyoming Balloon Co
- Registered owner
- Wyoming Balloon Co
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Balloon
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 1, 2019 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- Teton Village, WY
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
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 25, 2020
- Seat
- Center
- Restraint
- None
- Flight hours
- 4,500 total · 400 in this make and model · 50 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Observed at
- KJAC, 6 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 3, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 14.2 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.