Cameron Balloons Us N-145 N8004J

Summary

On 26 January 2002 at about 16:15 local time, a Cameron Balloons Us N-145 registered N8004J was involved in an accident near North Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. 7 people were on board and one died, 2 were seriously injured, 4 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

26 January 2002 at 16:15

Classification

Accident

Location

North Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Coordinates

36.3156, -115.3731

Aircraft

Cameron Balloons Us N-145

Registration

N8004J

Category

Balloon

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Las Vegas → North Las Vegas

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX02FA069

1 person died.

The pilot's misjudged approach and inadequate obstacle clearance, which resulted in his failure to attain the proper touchdown point. Contributing factors were the high gusty wind condition, and the pilot's failure to provide protective safety equipment.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a high wind landing in gusty conditions, the balloon impacted a residential block wall, hit the ground hard, and was dragged about 300 yards across rough and uneven terrain. During the initial impact with the block wall, one passenger was ejected from the gondola. The gondola went over the wall and impacted several dirt berms. The pilot was ejected during the ensuing hard touchdown. Thereafter, the gondola was dragged in the open desert terrain until stopping about 300 yards from the block wall. Prior to taking off, the pilot did not provide a safety briefing to the fare-paying passengers, and no safety helmets were carried in the gondola. Initially, the local surface wind was nearly calm, and the flight progressed without incident. However, when the wind speed increased the pilot attempted to land in the open desert terrain. His first touchdown was hard, and he aborted the attempt. Thereafter, the pilot flew for about 2 miles until he again attempted to land. The pilot and at least one passenger's head injuries would have been mitigated if protective helmets had been worn.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.