Pilot Debrief

ULTRAMAGIC SA N210 near Peoria, AZ — 2015-03-14

Final reportGAA15LA015
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Date
2015-03-14
Location
Peoria, AZ, USA
Aircraft
ULTRAMAGIC SA N210
Registration
N210UM
Category
Balloon
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Descent

Probable cause

The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing after noting a higher-than-anticipated wind speed and the balloon's high descent rate, which resulted in a hard landing.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, halfway through the flight, he determined that the wind aloft was higher than anticipated and that the original planned landing destination was no longer suitable. While the balloon was between 3,000 and 4,000 ft mean sea level, he started looking for another landing area and noted that the surface wind had increased and changed direction since the launch; the wind aloft about this time was reported to be 26 knots. The pilot stated that, during the descent to land, the balloon was traveling "about 15 mph." During the subsequent landing in an open field, the gondola impacted the ground hard twice, followed by two small hops, and then came to a stop. One of the passengers sustained two broken ankles during the two hard landings.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Controlled flight into terrain
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have chosen a safer landing area earlier in the descent.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 7 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents7

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