Aerostar RX 7 N9126K

Summary

On 7 October 2019 at about 15:00 local time, a Aerostar RX 7 registered N9126K was involved in an accident near Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 October 2019 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States

Coordinates

35.2417, -106.7678

Aircraft

Aerostar RX 7

Registration

N9126K

Category

Balloon

Year built

1998

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Air Race/Show

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Corrales → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA20CA012

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate descent rate during landing, which resulted in a hard landing and a postaccident fire.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The balloon pilot reported that, during an air race, she identified a landing area with dirt roads. She had a gradual descent to land, but as the balloon neared the surface, the winds were "in the 20+ mile per hour range." The balloon landed hard and bounced. She instructed the passenger to get lower in the basket, regained control, and attempted another landing. During the second landing, the pilot "pulled the red line to let the hot air out of the envelope but was dragged across the ground," and she was ejected from the basket; the passenger remained in the balloon. A crewmember on the ground instructed the passenger to pull the red line again. The balloon landed hard, the passenger was ejected, and the basket was destroyed by postaccident fire. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the balloon that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.