Thunder and Colt COLT 180A N738TC
27 April 1995 · Tucson, Arizona, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 27 April 1995 at about 15:00 local time, a Thunder and Colt COLT 180A registered N738TC, operated by A Balloon Experience, was involved in an accident near Tucson, Arizona, United States. 7 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 15:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Tucson, Arizona, United States
- Coordinates
- 32.1891, -110.9794
- Aircraft
- Thunder and Colt COLT 180A
- Registration
- N738TC
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- A Balloon Experience
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX95LA172
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
Probable cause
the inability of the pilot to compensate for the wind conditions which resulted in the basket tipping over following touchdown during a high-wind landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
NEAR THE CONCLUSION OF THE HOUR-LONG AERIAL SIGHTSEEING FLIGHT, THE PILOT RECOGNIZED THAT IT WOULD BE NECESSARY TO PERFORM A HIGH-WIND LANDING, AND THE BASKET MIGHT TIP OVER. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE INFORMED HIS PASSENGERS TO PREPARE THEMSELVES FOR THE HIGH-WIND LANDING, AND THEY ALL APPEARED TO APPROPRIATELY RESPOND. JUST BEFORE TOUCHDOWN, THE PILOT RIPPED OUT THE BALLOON TOP IN ORDER TO CONCLUDE THE FLIGHT. THE PILOT ALSO STATED THAT THE BASKET TOUCHED DOWN SMOOTHLY IN A VERY LARGE FIELD. HOWEVER, AFTER TOUCHDOWN IT TIPPED OVER BECAUSE THE WIND AT GROUND LEVEL WAS BLOWING AT 7 KNOTS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Thunder and Colt COLT accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Sep 1996 | Thunder and Colt COLT 240A | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Jeffrey M. Sherman | Serious injuries | - |
| 30 Jan 1993 | Thunder and Colt COLT 160A | Chandler, Arizona, United States | Naturally High Balloon Co Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Feb 2002 | Thunder and Colt COLT 120 A | Moreno Valley, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Jun 1995 | Cessna 180 | Chandler, Arizona, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Jul 1995 | Piper PA-22-160 | Payson, Arizona, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 6 Jul 1995 | Piper PA-25-235 | Maricopa, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Apr 1995 | Cessna 172D | Tsaile, Arizona, United States | BOB Werra | Fatal | 4 |
| 12 Jan 1995 | Cessna 208B | Flagstaff, Arizona, United States | Empire Airlines, Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 1 Aug 1995 | North American AT-6B | Glendale, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |