Pilot Debrief

AVIAN BALLOON SKYHAWK near Bucyrus, OH — 2023-09-21

Final reportERA23LA377
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Date
2023-09-21
Location
Bucyrus, OH, USA
Aircraft
AVIAN BALLOON SKYHAWK
Registration
N2067Q
Category
Balloon
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The balloon pilot’s bounced landing, which resulted in the basket tipping over and a serious injury to a passenger.

NTSB narrative

The balloon pilot reported that after a local sightseeing flight, she maneuvered and descended toward the landing zone that was an open field that had power lines nearby. After clearing the power lines, the pilot further descended and just prior to impact she “added a small amount of heat,” however, the basket bounced twice and tipped over onto its side. The pilot then completely deflated the balloon to prevent the basket from getting dragged on the ground. During the bounced landing and basket tip over, one of the passengers fell to the bottom of the basket, which resulted in a serious injury to her right leg. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the balloon that would have precluded normal operation.

NTSB coding

View NTSB final report

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