Aerostar RX-8 N35965
16 July 2003 · Snowmass Villag, Colorado, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 16 July 2003 at about 12:30 local time, a Aerostar RX-8 registered N35965 was involved in an accident near Snowmass Villag, Colorado, United States. 10 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 12:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Snowmass Villag, Colorado, United States
- Coordinates
- 39.3317, -106.9853
- Aircraft
- Aerostar RX-8
- Registration
- N35965
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Snowmass Villag → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DEN03LA130
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Probable cause
the failure of the pilot of balloon #2 to maintain clearance from balloon #1 while overtaking him.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
Balloon #1 N35965 departed approximately 1 to 2 minutes after balloon #2 N5047C departed. Balloon #2 had proceeded slightly west of a creek bed. Approximately 1 mile down the creek bed, #1 passed #2. Two miles further down the creek bed, #2 had obtained a faster ground speed and began to close in on balloon #1. The pilot of balloon #2 initiated an accent to climb up and over balloon #1. The basket of balloon #2 impacted the envelope of balloon #1 approximately 20 feet down from the top of the balloon causing substantial damage to the envelope.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aerostar RX-8 | N35965 | - | Substantial |
| Aerostar S-71A | N5047C | - | - |
Other Aerostar RX-8 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Oct 2003 | Aerostar RX-8 | Ithaca, New York, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 21 Jun 2003 | Aerostar RX 8 | Grove City, Ohio, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 19 Apr 2003 | Aerostar RX-8 | Bossier City, Louisiana, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 15 May 2001 | Aerostar RX-8 | Sterling, Colorado, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 19 Aug 2005 | Aerostar RX-8 | Denton, Texas, United States | Ronald L. Thompson | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 Oct 2005 | Aerostar RX-8 | Globe, Arizona, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Mar 2003 | Piper PA-28R-200 | Delta, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 2003 | Beechcraft S35 | Colorado Spring, Colorado, United States | Peter J. Vercouteren | No injuries | - |
| 23 Mar 2003 | Cessna 172S | Erie, Colorado, United States | Specialty Flight Training, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Mar 2003 | Beechcraft E-90 | Kremmling, Colorado, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 17 Jul 2003 | Cessna 172P | Watkins, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Nov 2003 | Fairchild Swearingen SA226TC | Grand Junction, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |