Ultramagic S90 N901UM
27 April 2019 · La Mesa, Texas, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 27 April 2019 at about 13:30 local time, a Ultramagic S90 registered N901UM was involved in an accident near La Mesa, Texas, United States. 3 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 13:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- La Mesa, Texas, United States
- Coordinates
- 32.8764, -101.9458
- Aircraft
- Ultramagic S90
- Registration
- N901UM
- Category
- Balloon
- Year built
- 2017
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- La Mesa → La Mesa
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN19CA128
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The pilot's improper decision to launch the balloon in known high wind conditions, and his failure to fully vent the balloon upon landing, which resulted in the balloon landing hard several times, tipping over, being pushed along uneven ground, and a serious passenger injury.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
According to the pilot, he was making an approach to land in a field. About 10 ft above ground level (agl), he pulled the vent chute. The balloon struck the ground travelling about 15 mph and tipped over, and then the wind pushed it across furrows for 60 ft. A wind gust lifted the partially filled balloon to about 20 ft agl. The pilot pulled the vent chute again, and after the balloon traveled another 128 ft, the basket struck the ground hard. The wind pushed the balloon for another 30 ft, and the balloon struck ditches on both sides of a road. The balloon then travelled another 88 ft through the grass and then came to a stop. The balloon was not damaged; however, one passenger sustained serious injuries, and a second passenger sustained minor injuries. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, there were 18 balloons at the launch site, one of which belonged to another FAA inspector, who had unpacked his balloon but did not launch. No other pilots unpacked their balloons due to the high winds aloft. The accident pilot was the only one to take off.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Jun 2019 | Robinson R22 | Danbury, Texas, United States | Standard Aviation Svcs | No injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 2019 | Cessna A185 | Conroe, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 7 Aug 2019 | Jonker Sailplanes JS1C | Cotulla, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 21 Sep 2019 | Van's VANS RV-10 | Lancaster, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Jun 2019 | Textron B-300 | Addison, Texas, United States | S&H Aircraft | Fatal | 10 |
| 16 Nov 2019 | Cessna 152 | Sherman/Dennison, Texas, United States | US Aviation Group Llc | No injuries | - |