Aerostar S-77A N9014W

Summary

On 2 July 2008 at about 12:00 local time, a Aerostar S-77A registered N9014W, operated by Tommy Cederlund, was involved in an accident near Boulder, Colorado, United States. 7 people were on board and 2 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

2 July 2008 at 12:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Boulder, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Boulder Municipal Airport (KBDU)

Coordinates

40.0606, -105.2075

Aircraft

Aerostar S-77A

Registration

N9014W

Category

Balloon

Operator

Tommy Cederlund

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Boulder → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dawn

NTSB number

LAX08CA209

2 people had minor injuries.

An encounter with a sudden gust of wind, which rendered the balloon uncontrollable and led to a collision with a tree.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot performed a normal cold-inflation of the balloon and instructed the passengers to board. The balloon was suddenly overcome by a gust of wind that pushed the envelope into a tree. The balloon was drawn upward by the wind, with its vent lines still entangled in the tree. As the lines became taut, sections of material ripped from the envelope, resulting in several long vertical tears. The pilot elected to abort the flight due to increasing wind speeds. The pilot attempted to gain control and stabilize the balloon, but it descended and collided with a tree. The basket came to rest about 20 feet above terrain. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the balloon.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.