Ultramagic N250-NO SERIES N57EX
31 July 2015 · Peoria, Arizona, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 31 July 2015 at about 14:50 local time, a Ultramagic N250-NO SERIES registered N57EX, operated by Hot Air Expeditions, Inc., was involved in an accident near Peoria, Arizona, United States. 11 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 14:50
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Peoria, Arizona, United States
- Coordinates
- 33.7533, -112.2558
- Aircraft
- Ultramagic N250-NO SERIES
- Registration
- N57EX
- Category
- Balloon
- Year built
- 2010
- Operator
- Hot Air Expeditions, Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Other Work Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Phoenix → Phoenix
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- GAA15LA225
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to ensure that the passengers remained secure in the basket during deflation after landing, which resulted in a passenger falling out of the basket and sustaining a serious injury when a wind gust caught the envelope and tipped the basket on its side.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that, during the balloon deflation process after landing and when the balloon was about 90 percent deflated, a wind gust caught the fabric that still had hot air trapped in it. The basket subsequently tipped forward, and one passenger slid out of the basket and sustained a serious injury. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the balloon that would have precluded normal operation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Ultramagic N250 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Sep 2014 | Ultramagic N250-NO SERIES | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Hot Air Expeditions | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Jun 2015 | Beechcraft E33A | Tucson, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Jan 2015 | Beechcraft A36TC | Flagstaff, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Jul 2015 | Airbus AS350-B2 | Tucson, Arizona, United States | US Department of Homeland Security | Minor injuries | - |
| 2 Nov 2015 | Cessna 182 | Douglas Bisbee, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Nov 2015 | Cessna 172 | Mesa, Arizona, United States | Falcon Executive Aviation Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 17 Sep 2015 | Douglas A4N | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Top Aces | Minor injuries | - |