Aerostar RXS-8 N5260E
13 October 2001 · Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 13 October 2001 at about 15:00 local time, a Aerostar RXS-8 registered N5260E was involved in an accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. 4 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 2 had minor injuries. 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 15:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Aerostar RXS-8
- Registration
- N5260E
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Observation
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Albuquerque → Albuquerque
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- NTSB number
- FTW02LA012
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to maintain clearance with a power line during landing. A contributing factor was the high wind during the landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot was attempting to land the balloon in a large grass ball field. After clearing power lines adjacent to the landing area, the pilot fully deployed the balloon envelope vent. The balloon basket "made hard contact with the ground. A second contact was made and the balloon started to drag." The balloon envelope contacted power lines; subsequently, the pilot and passengers sustained electrical burns. The balloon basket came to rest against a set of bleachers at the ball field. Airport personnel, located 1/2 mile from the accident site, reported the wind from 360 degrees at 19 knots.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Aerostar RXS-8 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Jul 2001 | Aerostar RXS-8 | Flemington, New Jersey, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 6 Nov 1999 | Aerostar RXS-8 | Artesia, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 20 Apr 1997 | Aerostar RXS-8 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 28 Mar 2022 | Aerostar RXS-8 | Yutan, Nebraska, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jun 2001 | Cameron Balloons N-210 | Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 25 Aug 2001 | North American SNJ-5 | Raton, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 6 Mar 2001 | Cessna 172F | Clovis, New Mexico, United States | Eastern New Mexico Flight Academy | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 2001 | Cessna 172N | Farmington, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 May 2001 | 1977 Colfer-Chan STEEN SKYBOLT | Gallup, New Mexico, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 26 Oct 2001 | Beechcraft 58 | Farmington, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |