Kubicek BB70Z N1235J
24 June 2013 · Windsor, Colorado, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 24 June 2013 at about 14:40 local time, a Kubicek BB70Z registered N1235J, operated by Longmont HOT Air Balloon LLC, was involved in an accident near Windsor, Colorado, United States. 9 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured, 7 had minor injuries. 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 14:40
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Windsor, Colorado, United States
- Nearest airport
- Ft Collins-Loveland Municipal (FNL)
- Coordinates
- 40.4394, -104.9764
- Aircraft
- Kubicek BB70Z
- Registration
- N1235J
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Longmont HOT Air Balloon LLC
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Other Work Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Longmont → Windsor
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN13CA372
People
2 people were seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilots’ encounter with increased wind, which resulted in a hard and fast landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot said there had been very little wind when he had launched in his balloon earlier and his flight at about 1,000 feet above ground level (agl) was normal. He reported that there was very little wind until he descended to about 300 feet agl when the wind began to interfere. The pilot advised all passengers to lower themselves inside the basket and to brace themselves for a hard landing. The passengers advised that the balloon basket hit the ground “very hard” and bounced several times before hitting the slope side of a dirt hill where the basket flipped onto its side and was dragged in the dirt in that tipped-over position. The total distance from first impact to the balloon's final resting location was estimated at about 1,300 feet. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the main basket, the basket partitions, and substantial damage to the burner cage.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Sep 2013 | Cessna 150G | Denver, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 Jun 2013 | Piper PA-28-140 | Mosca, Colorado, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 24 Jul 2013 | Cessna 182S | Steamboat Springs, Colorado, United States | Steamboat Springs Flying Club | No injuries | - |
| 9 Jun 2013 | Beechcraft C24R | Peyton, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Apr 2013 | Cessna T182T | Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States | Air Illini, LLC | No injuries | - |
| 4 Sep 2013 | Cessna T207 | Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States | Sanborn Map Company | Minor injuries | - |