Aerostar S-60A N63459
6 October 1997 · Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 6 October 1997 at about 14:30 local time, a Aerostar S-60A registered N63459, operated by Ronald E. Hensley, was involved in an accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. 5 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 14:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
- Coordinates
- 35.0601, -106.6200
- Aircraft
- Aerostar S-60A
- Registration
- N63459
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Ronald E. Hensley
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Rio Rancho → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW98LA143
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to maintain control of the balloon.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
According to the pilot, after landing following a flight of about one hour, the balloon was on the ground for about 5 minutes when it was struck by a gust of wind and lifted off. The balloon drifted downwind into the side of a house, cracked the wall of the house and tore the swamp cooler off the roof. The balloon sustained substantial damage to the metal frame on the basket. No wind gusts were recorded during the time frame encompassing the accident, and the recorded wind was 5 knots.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Aerostar S-60A accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Oct 1997 | Aerostar S-60A | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 9 Jun 1996 | Aerostar S-60A | San Angelo, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 9 May 1999 | Aerostar S-60A | Clarkdale, Arizona, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 11 Dec 1990 | Aerostar S-60A | Columbus, Ohio, United States | Icchc Corporation | Fatal | 4 |
| 4 Oct 2004 | Aerostar S-60A | Austin, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 Apr 1988 | Aerostar S-60A | Orlando, Florida, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Jun 1997 | Piper PA-18 | Clovis, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Jan 1997 | Beechcraft 95-B55 | Mayhill, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 3 Feb 1997 | Aeronca 65-TC | Moriarty, New Mexico, United States | William A. Essenburg | Fatal | 2 |
| 15 Feb 1997 | Piper PA-24-250 | Farmington, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 5 |
| 5 Jul 1997 | Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-2B | Hobbs, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 6 Jul 1997 | Boeing 727-247 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |