Avian FALCON II N15053

Summary

On 24 July 2004 at about 13:30 local time, a Avian FALCON II registered N15053 was involved in an accident near Middletown, Ohio, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 July 2004 at 13:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Middletown, Ohio, United States

Coordinates

39.4861, -84.4911

Aircraft

Avian FALCON II

Registration

N15053

Category

Balloon

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Middletown → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC04CA177

1 person was seriously injured.

The passenger's inadvertent fall from the basket, during landing. A factor in this accident was the windy conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After about a 1 hour flight, the pilot elected to land the balloon in an open field. He noticed that the surface winds had increased to about 11 to 12 knots, and briefed the passenger prior to landing. The balloon touched down in the field, and began to drag along the ground. The basket tipped forward, and the passenger fell out of the basket. The balloon became airborne again, cleared a tree line, and touched down in an adjacent field. The balloon envelope came to rest draped over a power line. The passenger stated she was briefed by the pilot prior to landing; however, she was unable to hold on. Winds reported at an airport located about 16 miles northeast of the accident site, were from 050 degrees at 10 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.