N2814D

On April 20, 1996, at 0930 central daylight time, a Raven S-66A, N2814D, registered to and operated by a private owner under Title 14 CFR Part 91, was undamaged during a landing near San Antonio, Texas. The commercial pilot and five of his passengers were not injured; however, one passenger sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local balloon flight that originated at San Antonio, Texas, approximately 1 hour and 6 minutes before the accident. No flight plan was filed.

During telephone interviews conducted by the investigator-in-charge, two passengers reported that they received "no briefing before the balloon ride started." The injured passenger further stated that she "believed the basket to be very crowded with 7 people in it." The pilot reported in his Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report that, the "wind was calm for a normal takeoff." The pilot further stated that after takeoff the "wind picked up [from] the NE 10 to 12 mph at 200 feet AGL."

According to the pilot, he descended the balloon in an manner which allowed the basket to "brush through the leaves [of some 12 to 13 foot tall trees] to slow the forward momentum of the balloon." The pilot reported that the balloon "landed near the edge of a grassy field." One of the passengers reported that "the balloon impacted the ground and bounced 30 to 40 feet before impacting the ground again." The pilot reported that the basket was "dragged about 150 feet and came to a stop, basket on its side." The injured passenger was on the low side of the basket, and, when the basket came to rest, there were people on top of her.

According to the injured passenger, who was on her first balloon ride, "approximately 20 seconds before the basket hit the ground, the pilot told the passengers to crouch below the basket top and bend their knees." She reported that she didn't know that "there was anything wrong; and didn't have any expectation of what to do for the landing until he said that."