Aerostar S-60A N7154E
10 October 1997 · Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 10 October 1997 at about 15:00 local time, a Aerostar S-60A registered N7154E was involved in an accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. 4 people were on board and one was seriously injured. 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
- Coordinates
- 35.0599, -106.6200
- Aircraft
- Aerostar S-60A
- Registration
- N7154E
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW98LA010
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
The passenger failing to follow the pilot's instructions as to the proper brace position to assume for landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot said he gave his passengers a preflight briefing that included the positions to assume during landing in the hot air balloon. After flying for about 30 minutes, a landing approach was initiated. The pilot instructed his passengers to assume the landing position, which they did. The position consists of facing the direction of travel, knees slightly bent, and grasping the handholds. The landing 'was (made) at 200 feet per minute.' The pilot (who is a physician) said that when the balloon touched down, one passenger fell to a squatting position and her foot was 'laterally rotated 45 degrees,' sustaining 'an open reduction (fracture) with internal fixation' of her ankle.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Aerostar S-60A accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Oct 1997 | Aerostar S-60A | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Ronald E. Hensley | No injuries | - |
| 9 Jun 1996 | Aerostar S-60A | San Angelo, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 9 May 1999 | Aerostar S-60A | Clarkdale, Arizona, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 11 Dec 1990 | Aerostar S-60A | Columbus, Ohio, United States | Icchc Corporation | Fatal | 4 |
| 4 Oct 2004 | Aerostar S-60A | Austin, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 Apr 1988 | Aerostar S-60A | Orlando, Florida, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Jun 1997 | Piper PA-18 | Clovis, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Jan 1997 | Beechcraft 95-B55 | Mayhill, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 3 Feb 1997 | Aeronca 65-TC | Moriarty, New Mexico, United States | William A. Essenburg | Fatal | 2 |
| 15 Feb 1997 | Piper PA-24-250 | Farmington, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 5 |
| 5 Jul 1997 | Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-2B | Hobbs, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 6 Jul 1997 | Boeing 727-247 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |