Summary
On October 25, 2014, a Head AX8 88B (N20671) was involved in an accident near Montevallo, AL. The accident resulted in 1 serious injury, with 2 people uninjured out of 3 aboard.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: The pilot's decision to conduct a landing to a confined area in high wind conditions, which resulted in a hard landing and subsequent injury to a passenger.
At the conclusion of a sightseeing flight, the pilot was descending the balloon for landing in a field he had partially observed through trees. He reported that the wind speed was between 10-15 knots. As he vented the envelope and the field came into full view, he noted that there was "not much room to land;" estimating the field to be about 60-70 yards in length. The basket touched down hard and was dragged along the ground before coming to rest. The pilot and one passenger were not injured; the second passenger fell during the landing and sustained fractures to both arms. The balloon was not damaged. The pilot stated that the preflight passenger briefing included the proper brace position for landing.
This accident is documented in NTSB report ERA15CA035. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N20671.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's decision to conduct a landing to a confined area in high wind conditions, which resulted in a hard landing and subsequent injury to a passenger.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
At the conclusion of a sightseeing flight, the pilot was descending the balloon for landing in a field he had partially observed through trees. He reported that the wind speed was between 10-15 knots. As he vented the envelope and the field came into full view, he noted that there was "not much room to land;" estimating the field to be about 60-70 yards in length. The basket touched down hard and was dragged along the ground before coming to rest. The pilot and one passenger were not injured; the second passenger fell during the landing and sustained fractures to both arms. The balloon was not damaged. The pilot stated that the preflight passenger briefing included the proper brace position for landing. The pilot also reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies of the balloon that would have precluded normal operation.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ERA15CA035