Cameron Balloons Us Z-225 N65625

Summary

On 15 June 2014 at about 11:16 local time, a Cameron Balloons Us Z-225 registered N65625, operated by The United States Hot Air Balloon Team, was involved in an accident near Spring City, Pennsylvania, United States. 11 people were on board and one died. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 June 2014 at 11:16

Classification

Accident

Location

Spring City, Pennsylvania, United States

Coordinates

40.1639, -75.5394

Aircraft

Cameron Balloons Us Z-225

Registration

N65625

Category

Balloon

Year built

2011

Operator

The United States Hot Air Balloon Team

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pottstown → Spring City

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA14LA290

1 person died.

The pilot's fall from the balloon’s basket during touchdown in a field for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence, which resulted in his fatal injury.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was conducting a local balloon flight with 10 passengers on board. A ground crewmember reported that he talked with the pilot before takeoff, and he indicated that the pilot did not appear to be unhealthy and that he did not mention feeling ill or that he was having any health-related issues. The passengers reported that, after takeoff, the flight proceeded uneventfully, with the pilot talking to them during the entire flight. The pilot chose to perform a landing in a field and informed the passengers to brace for landing; several of the passengers noted that the wind speed was increasing. Several of the passengers also noted that the descent was steep and that the landing was "hard" or "really hard." The pilot then appeared to lose his balance, and he fell out of the basket and sustained fatal injuries. Although the pilot had several medical conditions and used several medications that could have affected his balance or reaction time and, thus, could have contributed to his fall from the basket, witnesses reported that the pilot appeared healthy and behaved normally before and during the flight. Further, even a fully alert, athletic person could have fallen in the manner described by the passengers. Based on the available evidence, it could not be determined if impairment from any of his medical conditions or the medications he was using to treat them caused the pilot to fall from the basket.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.