Cameron Balloons U S A-315 N315RR

Summary

On 14 October 2023 at about 14:10 local time, a Cameron Balloons U S A-315 registered N315RR was involved in an accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. 13 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 October 2023 at 14:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States

Coordinates

35.1799, -106.5900

Aircraft

Cameron Balloons U S A-315

Registration

N315RR

Category

Balloon

Year built

2023

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR24LA019

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s inability to maintain control of the balloon during landing due to unforecasted windshear and turbulent air.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that the flight was a balloon sightseeing flight that was departing from a large balloon festival. He received a weather briefing as part of the festival and there was no forecasted adverse conditions. Prior to departure, he briefed all 12 passengers on the proper landing position (knees slightly bent with both hands holding onto the rope). After a normal accent, the pilot flew for about 40 minutes and prepared to land. During the descent, he noted that the surface winds were faster than earlier in the flight. As they descended to about 75 ft above ground level (agl), the balloon encountered windshear and turbulent air. In response, the balloon descended faster than the pilot anticipated, and he was unable to arrest the descent. The balloon contacted a chain-link fence and touched down in a field. As a result of the landing, a passenger suffered a bone fracture (in the ankle area). The balloon did not sustain damage. The pilot stated that there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) sounding over the landing site indicated a stable atmosphere with no thermals and a defined low-level temperature inversion to about 2,000 ft agl with light and variable winds to the surface.  No strong winds were indicated below 10,000 ft mean seal level (msl).

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.