Aerostar RXS-8 N71493
20 April 1997 · Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 20 April 1997 at about 00:30 local time, a Aerostar RXS-8 registered N71493 was involved in an accident near Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. 6 people were on board. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 00:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States
- Coordinates
- 43.5503, -96.6901
- Aircraft
- Aerostar RXS-8
- Registration
- N71493
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CHI97LA108
People
Injuries not recorded.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Probable cause
the ground crewmember failed to maintain visual contact with the balloon, while it was landing. A factor relating to the accident was: the ground crewmember allowed her attention to be diverted while keeping a child out of harms way.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot was landing the balloon in an elementary school parking lot/playground, when the accident occurred. A ground crewmember became occupied with making sure that a child was out of the way of the balloon as it was touching down. The crewmember diverted her attention away from the basket. Subsequently, the basket hit the crewmember, which resulted in serious injuries.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Aerostar RXS-8 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Nov 1999 | Aerostar RXS-8 | Artesia, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 13 Oct 2001 | Aerostar RXS-8 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 16 Jul 2001 | Aerostar RXS-8 | Flemington, New Jersey, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 28 Mar 2022 | Aerostar RXS-8 | Yutan, Nebraska, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Aug 1997 | Cessna A188B | Britton, South Dakota, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Sep 1997 | Piper PA-22 | Castlewood, South Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Aug 1997 | Grumman American AA-5 | Lower Brule, South Dakota, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 28 Sep 1997 | Cessna 172P | Yankton, South Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Feb 1997 | De Havilland DHC-8-311 | Rapid City, South Dakota, United States | Mesa Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 18 Oct 1997 | Bellanca 7GCBC | Rapid City, South Dakota, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |