Cameron 0-105 N2925L

Summary

On 15 July 2021 at about 23:45 local time, a Cameron 0-105 registered N2925L was involved in an accident near Piermont, New Hampshire, United States. 5 people were on board and one died, one 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

15 July 2021 at 23:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Piermont, New Hampshire, United States

Coordinates

44.0073, -72.0910

Aircraft

Cameron 0-105

Registration

N2925L

Category

Balloon

Year built

1984

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Post Mills → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA21LA290

1 person died.

The balloon pilot’s delay in relighting the burner, which resulted in a hard landing and his ejection from the balloon.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The balloon departed with the pilot and four passengers for a commercial sightseeing flight. About 45 minutes into the flight, the burner’s pilot light extinguished. The pilot told the passengers that he had to switch propane tanks; however, he could not locate the striker to relight the burner. The balloon started to descend while the pilot searched the balloon basket for the striker, and several minutes later, he located a backup striker. The balloon had descended close to the ground by the time the pilot re-lit the pilot light, and he could not get the balloon to climb before impacting a field. One passenger and the pilot were thrown from the basket upon impact. The balloon then started to rise, and the pilot’s foot was trapped between the balloon attach rope and the basket frame. The pilot untangled his foot but remained hanging below the basket for about 1 mile before falling to a field and suffering fatal injuries. The remaining passengers contacted ground support personnel via a handheld radio and received instructions on how to operate the balloon controls in preparation for landing. The balloon traveled about another 3.5 miles before landing in trees. Examination of the balloon did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Had the pilot been able to relight the burner in a timely manner, it was likely that he would have been able to sufficiently arrest the balloon’s descent rate to prevent the hard landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.