Cameron Balloons N90 N6123U
23 May 2004 · Whately, Massachusetts, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 23 May 2004 at about 23:00 local time, a Cameron Balloons N90 registered N6123U was involved in an accident near Whately, Massachusetts, United States. 5 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.
The record
- Date
- at 23:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Whately, Massachusetts, United States
- Coordinates
- 42.4392, -72.6336
- Aircraft
- Cameron Balloons N90
- Registration
- N6123U
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Other Work Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Conway → Whately
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC04CA128
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the trees. A factor was windshear.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The surface winds were very light when the balloon tookoff; however, the wind velocity increased during the flight. Due to the increased wind velocity, the pilot chose an open field to land the balloon. During the approach, windshear drove the balloon into trees. The balloon then became entangled in trees about 10 feet agl. A tree limb subsequently broke, and the balloon fell to the ground. The reported weather about the time of the accident included variable winds at 4-6 knots, with thunderstorm activity in the area.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Jan 2004 | Embraer 135 | Bangor, Massachusetts, United States | Simmons Airlines Inc | No injuries | - |
| 24 Mar 2004 | Piper PA-28-180 | Norwood, Massachusetts, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jan 2004 | Rockwell 112A | Bedford, Massachusetts, United States | GPW Aeroservices | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 Mar 2004 | Mitsubishi MU-2B-36 | Pittsfield, Massachusetts, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 2 Aug 2004 | Pascucci RAF 2000 | Beverly, Massachusetts, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Aug 2004 | Cessna 150E | Marlboro, Massachusetts, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |