Ultramagic N500 N500UM

Summary

On 18 September 2020 at about 16:00 local time, a Ultramagic N500 registered N500UM, operated by Randy Long Companies LLC, was involved in an accident near Peoria, Arizona, United States. 20 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 September 2020 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Peoria, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

33.7973, -112.2409

Aircraft

Ultramagic N500

Registration

N500UM

Category

Balloon

Year built

2018

Operator

Randy Long Companies LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Phoenix → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR20LA333

2 people were seriously injured.

The balloon's encounter with unexpected windshear, which resulted in a hard landing and serious passenger injuries.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he departed from a vacant desert location with the wind from east at about 6 to 8 knots. The balloon ascended to about 1,000 ft above ground level (agl) as he maneuvered. Upon the descent to the intended landing location, about 200 ft agl, the balloon encountered a wind shift from the north. The pilot stated that this amounted to a low-level wind shear that accelerated the descent rate and resulted in an abnormally hard landing. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the balloon and that the hard landing was a result of non-forecasted/unexpected wind shear. As a result of the impact, two passenger suffered serious injuries.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.