Summary
On October 06, 2017, a Ultramagic Sa T210 (N123UT) was involved in an accident near Albuquerque, NM. The accident resulted in 1 serious injury, 1 minor injury, with 23 people uninjured out of 25 aboard. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: The other pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance from a balloon on the ground during landing.
The Ultramagic balloon pilot reported that, during a balloon festival, after a local sightseeing flight, he landed the balloon and decided to wait for the ground crew to locate the balloon before deflating. He added that, as the balloon was deflating, he "heard a basket sliding across the top of [his] balloon". The balloon rotated counter-clockwise and the balloon basket, still loaded with passengers, rolled upside down.
The Ultramagic balloon sustained substantial damage to the burner rack. One passenger sustained serious injuries.
The Lindstrand balloon pilot reported that, during landing, there were two balloons in his flight path. He added that he climbed and passed the first balloon, but was unable to pass the second.
This accident is documented in NTSB report GAA18CA016. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N123UT.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The other pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance from a balloon on the ground during landing.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
The Ultramagic balloon pilot reported that, during a balloon festival, after a local sightseeing flight, he landed the balloon and decided to wait for the ground crew to locate the balloon before deflating. He added that, as the balloon was deflating, he "heard a basket sliding across the top of [his] balloon". The balloon rotated counter-clockwise and the balloon basket, still loaded with passengers, rolled upside down.
The Ultramagic balloon sustained substantial damage to the burner rack. One passenger sustained serious injuries.
The Lindstrand balloon pilot reported that, during landing, there were two balloons in his flight path. He added that he climbed and passed the first balloon, but was unable to pass the second. He reported that, "I brushed him with my basket on the top of his balloon." He landed the balloon without further incident.
The Ultramagic pilot and the Lindstrand operations manager reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the balloons 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# GAA18CA016