Aerostar S-77A N5075H

Summary

On 14 July 2000 at about 01:51 local time, a Aerostar S-77A registered N5075H was involved in an accident near River Falls, Wisconsin, United States. 9 people were on board and 3 were seriously injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 July 2000 at 01:51

Classification

Accident

Location

River Falls, Wisconsin, United States

Coordinates

44.8498, -92.6205

Aircraft

Aerostar S-77A

Registration

N5075H

Category

Balloon

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Stillwater → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI00LA196

3 people were seriously injured.

the unfavorable wind condition for landing and control of the balloon during landing not possible by the pilot.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Three of the nine occupants of the hot air balloon received serious injuries during landing. The pilot said that, during the flight he experienced wind velocities higher than had been reported. He said that he advised and briefed the passengers of the possibility of a high wind landing. He said that during the approach to landing, the wind was approximately 6 to 8 miles per hour and that, just before touchdown, the wind increased to 12 to 15 miles per hour. Passengers reported that the pilot advised them of the possibility of a hard landing. They reported that the pilot briefed them on how to prepare for the landing. One of the witnesses reported that the balloon impacted the ground twice and came to rest on its side. A weather report for a station located about 20 miles west-northwest of the accident site was reporting winds from 320 degrees magnetic at 10 nautical miles per hour.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.