National Ballooning 858 N9011J
11 July 2003 · Louisville, Colorado, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 11 July 2003 at about 13:37 local time, a National Ballooning 858 registered N9011J was involved in an accident near Louisville, Colorado, United States. 3 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 13:37
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Louisville, Colorado, United States
- Coordinates
- 39.9639, -105.1272
- Aircraft
- National Ballooning 858
- Registration
- N9011J
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Boulder → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DEN03LA126
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's inability to control the balloon. Contributing factors include the high winds, the attempted remedial action by the pilot, the building, fence, and transmission wires.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
According to the pilot, he departed with variable winds at 6 knots. At approximately 0710, the wind increased to 22 to 24 knots. Approximately 30 minutes later, the pilot located a landing site and started an approach. During the approach, the balloon increased in speed and descended faster than planned. The pilot stated he "quickly went to two burners" with no result. The balloon failed to clear a fence and the pilot pulled the "red line." The basket impacted the ground, ejecting the passengers and pilot. The pilot was dragged behind the basket until his foot disentangled from the red line. Subsequently, the balloon impacted a "building, a fence, a farm gate and transmission wires." The envelope was ripped open at several locations. According to the aviation routine weather report (METAR) taken at 0747 from Jefferson County Airport, winds were reported as 340 degrees at 20 knots.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other National Ballooning 858 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 May 2009 | National Ballooning 858 | Fremont, Nebraska, United States | Jaworski Richard L | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 Jun 2012 | National Ballooning 858 | Pierce, Nebraska, United States | Wayne A Mohring | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Jul 2003 | Aerostar RX-8 | Snowmass Villag, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 2003 | Piper PA-28R-200 | Delta, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 2003 | Beechcraft S35 | Colorado Spring, Colorado, United States | Peter J. Vercouteren | No injuries | - |
| 23 Mar 2003 | Cessna 172S | Erie, Colorado, United States | Specialty Flight Training, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Mar 2003 | Beechcraft E-90 | Kremmling, Colorado, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 17 Jul 2003 | Cessna 172P | Watkins, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |