Avian Balloon SKYHAWK N2067Q

Summary

On 21 September 2023 at about 22:50 local time, a Avian Balloon SKYHAWK registered N2067Q was involved in an accident near Bucyrus, Ohio, United States. 3 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 September 2023 at 22:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Bucyrus, Ohio, United States

Coordinates

40.8709, -82.9021

Aircraft

Avian Balloon SKYHAWK

Registration

N2067Q

Category

Balloon

Year built

1999

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA23LA377

1 person was seriously injured.

The balloon pilot’s bounced landing, which resulted in the basket tipping over and a serious injury to a passenger.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The balloon pilot reported that after a local sightseeing flight, she maneuvered and descended toward the landing zone that was an open field that had power lines nearby. After clearing the power lines, the pilot further descended and just prior to impact she “added a small amount of heat,” however, the basket bounced twice and tipped over onto its side. The pilot then completely deflated the balloon to prevent the basket from getting dragged on the ground. During the bounced landing and basket tip over, one of the passengers fell to the bottom of the basket, which resulted in a serious injury to her right leg. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the balloon that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.