Thunder & Colt 210A N91101
11 July 2004 · Huntersville, North Carolina, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 11 July 2004 at about 00:20 local time, a Thunder & Colt 210A registered N91101 was involved in an accident near Huntersville, North Carolina, United States. 8 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 7 had minor injuries. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 00:20
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Huntersville, North Carolina, United States
- Coordinates
- 35.4119, -80.8481
- Aircraft
- Thunder & Colt 210A
- Registration
- N91101
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Cornelius → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ATL04LA198
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
Probable cause
Gusty weather conditions which resulted in an in-flight collision with terrain during touchdown.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
According to the pilot, he had obtained a weather briefing and had departed from a field. The balloon had drifted east at about two miles per hour. He stated that after about 30 minutes the wind began increasing to a speed of around 15 to 18 miles per hour, and he began looking for a place to land. He stated he bypassed several fields before he found a large open construction site. He started a descent towards the field and instructed his passengers to get down and brace for a hard landing. He said that just at touchdown the balloon caught a gust of wind and hit a small mound of dirt causing the basket to overturn and the pilot and passengers to tumble out. The basket was dragged several feet before it came to a complete stop. The balloon and basket were not damaged.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Jan 2004 | Cessna 182A | Traphill, North Carolina, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 17 May 2004 | Beechcraft A36 | Morrisville, North Carolina, United States | Robert G. Snyder | Fatal | 1 |
| 25 Jun 2004 | Cessna 172S | Asheville, North Carolina, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 14 May 2004 | Hughes 269A | Louisburg, North Carolina, United States | Franklin County Sheriff's Office | Fatal | 1 |
| 14 May 2004 | Piper PA-32-260 | New Bern, North Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Oct 2004 | Beechcraft BE-60 | Asheville, North Carolina, United States | Rafael Zur | Fatal | 4 |