- Date
- May 28, 2021, 08:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Dayton, NV
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1535GLindstrand Balloons 90A
- Defining event
- Landing: Hard landing
- Weather
- Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- RNO FSDO
- FAA report
- 20210528010959A
- Case key
- 103227
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 control of the balloon due to an unexpected high surface wind and downdraft, 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 pilot of the balloon reported that, while landing, the wind suddenly shifted from about 1 to 10 miles per hour. The balloon ascended about 200 ft, then began to descend. Despite the use of both burners, the pilot was unable to arrest the descent. The basket struck the ground and tipped forward where she was partially ejected while pulling the deflation line. The balloon then began to ascend, and rotate, while the pilot continued to pull the deflation line, she was then fully ejected from the basket. Unable to hold onto the deflation line, she dropped about 15 to 20 ft to the ground and was seriously injured with a broken pelvis and three fractured vertebrae. One of the passengers continued to pull the deflation line and the balloon landed without damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the balloon that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported the forecast indicated calm wind at the surface.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1535G
- Reported as
- Lindstrand Balloons 90A
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 5374
- Built
- 2007
- Airframe hours
- 252
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Hungerford Brenda G
- Registered owner
- Hungerford Brenda G
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Balloon
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 27, 2020
- Departed
- Dayton, NV
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
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
- 61
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Seat
- None
- Restraint
- None
- Flight hours
- 639 total · 639 in this make and model · 639 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 58 °F
- METAR
- METAR KCXP 281515Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 13/M07 A3019 RMK AO2
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 22, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.5 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.