Ultramagic N-250 N3002J
9 May 2005 · Del Mar, California, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 9 May 2005 at about 02:30 local time, a Ultramagic N-250 registered N3002J, operated by Dick B Cochran, was involved in an accident near Del Mar, California, United States. 10 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 02:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Del Mar, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 32.9689, -117.2069
- Aircraft
- Ultramagic N-250
- Registration
- N3002J
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Dick B Cochran
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Other Work Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Rancho Santa Fe → Del Mar
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Dusk
- NTSB number
- LAX05LA162
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to arrest the high rate of descent and an inadequate bounced landing recovery technique. a factor in the accident was the rough, uneven terrain.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The balloon landed hard in rough, uneven terrain injuring one of the nine passengers. After departure the balloon drifted in a south easterly direction between the altitudes of 500 feet and 2,000 feet above ground level for a period of 40 minutes. The pilot briefed the passengers for landing, flew over some power lines, and landed in a construction site. The balloon had a high rate of descent when it landed and bounced, followed by a second touchdown bounce, and then came to rest. The injured passenger stated that they received a good briefing from the pilot prior to landing. She said that they landed hard in uneven terrain, bounced, landed hard a second time, bounced, and then the basket came to rest lopsided on a hillside. She said she fractured her tibia and fibula during the second landing bounce. She said she was prepared for the first landing but did not expect the bounce and second landing touchdown. The pilot indicated in the accident report that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the balloon.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Ultramagic N-250 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Apr 2008 | Ultramagic N-250 | Buckeye, Arizona, United States | Hot Air Expeditions | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 Jun 2013 | Ultramagic N-250 | Golden, Colorado, United States | Adventure Balloon Sports, LLC | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 Nov 2014 | Ultramagic N-250 | Wittman, Arizona, United States | Hot Air Expeditions | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 Oct 2018 | Ultramagic N 250 | Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 19 Oct 2019 | Ultramagic N 250 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Balloons Over the Rainbow Inc | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 May 2005 | Robinson R44 | Lucerne Valley, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 28 May 2005 | S A Centrair PEGASE 101D | Williams, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 May 2005 | Cessna 172N | Stockton, California, United States | Luis Rivara | No injuries | - |
| 27 Dec 2005 | Socata TBM 700 | Lancaster, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 28 Dec 2005 | Learjet 35A | Truckee, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 8 Sep 2005 | Robinson R22 | Santa Clarita, California, United States | Orbic Helicopters | No injuries | - |