Cameron Balloons Us A-225 N980VA
24 November 2025 · Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 24 November 2025 at about 15:00 local time, a Cameron Balloons Us A-225 registered N980VA, operated by Rainbow Ryders Inc, was involved in an accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. 9 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 15:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
- Nearest airport
- Albuquerque International Sunp (ABQ)
- Coordinates
- 35.0149, -106.6085
- Aircraft
- Cameron Balloons Us A-225
- Registration
- N980VA
- Category
- Balloon
- Year built
- 2022
- Operator
- Rainbow Ryders Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Albuquerque → Albuquerque
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR26LA052
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
Probable cause
The balloon landing in increased wind, and the pilot’s inability to maintain the proper descent rate, which resulted in a hard landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The hot air balloon pilot reported that he performed a safety briefing with all eight passengers before they boarded the balloon. During the flight the winds, which were forecasted to be about 3 knots at the time of landing, increased to 14 kts, gusting to 19 kts. The pilot determined that the planned landing area did not provide sufficient room for a safe landing due to the increase in wind speed and elected to divert to a more open area. The balloon crossed over a valley and encountered a downdraft, which the pilot said he unsuccessfully attempted to overcome using the gas burners. He activated the rapid-deflation system to help prevent dragging; the balloon touched down hard and was dragged by the wind as it deflated. The balloon landed hard at about 23 kts, which resulted in a serious injury to one of the passengers. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions with the balloon that would have precluded normal operations.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cameron Balloons Us A-225 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Sep 2025 | Cameron Balloons Us A-225 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Rainbow Ryders INC | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Jul 2025 | Cessna 182B | Belen, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Mar 2025 | Robinson R44 II | Hobbs, New Mexico, United States | Flap Air Helicopter Service Inc | Minor injuries | - |
| 5 Oct 2025 | Glasflugel STD LIBELLE 201B | Moriarty, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Sep 2025 | Piper PA-23-160 | Santa Teresa, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 6 Oct 2025 | Aerostar RX 8 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Sep 2025 | Bellanca 17-30A | Moriarty, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |