- Date
- August 15, 2020, 08:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Albuquerque, NM
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N900FCAerostar International RX 8
- 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
- Parties
- FAA FSDO ABQ
- FAA report
- 20200815009659A
- Case key
- 101815
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 pilot’s failure to maintain the proper descent rate during the balloon’s approach to a high-wind landing, which resulted in a hard landing and serious passenger injury.
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 pilot reported that for the balloon flight, the wind conditions were forecast to be light and variable at 4 knots. The wind at take0ff was from the north at 5 mph and 40 minutes later had increased to 15 mph. The pilot subsequently executed a high wind landing procedure. The balloon landed hard and was not damaged; however, the passenger, who was braced for landing, suffered a serious broken ankle injury. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the balloon that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N900FC
- Reported as
- Aerostar International RX 8 (No Series)
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 101-90
- Built
- 2007
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ken Tuley
- Registered owner
- Fricke Barbara A
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special); Standard, Balloon
- Departed
- AEG · Albuquerque, NM
- Destination
- AEG · Albuquerque, NM
- Airport
- AEG · Double Eagle
- Equipment
- 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
- 66
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Seat
- None
- Restraint
- None
- Flight hours
- 238 total · 224 in this make and model · 209 as pilot in command · 2.5 in the last 90 days · 0.6 in the last 30 days · 0.6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.25 inHg
- Observed at
- KAEG, 4 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 26, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 775 KB 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.