ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 247047
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Saturday 23 January 2021 |
| Time: | 10:08 LT |
| Type: |  Lindstrand LBL-77A Balloon |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N477LB |
| MSN: | 5320 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2006 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 327 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Rio Rancho, NM -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Rio Rancho, NM |
| Rio Rancho, NM | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot of the balloon reported that, following an uneventful flight, she briefed the passenger for landing, which included having them secure themselves within the basket “holding on in 2 places.' The pilot stated that, during the landing descent, there was a bush that she selected to intentionally hit to slow the balloons ground speed down. The balloon brushed the vegetation, continued to descend, and landed hard. After the hard landing, the balloon became airborne and turned with the basket at a slight angle when the passenger “slid out the side of the basket,' about 5 ft above ground level.
The pilot was met by the passenger shortly after she had landed and secured the balloon. The pilot and passenger walked to a nearby ridge, at which point the pilot was able to contact her crew with the location of the balloon. During this time, the passenger was alert; however, he wanted to sit down to rest. The pilot stated that 911 was called about an hour after the hard landing. The passenger was attended to by emergency personnel before he was transported to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was blunt pelvic trauma.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain the proper descent rate during the balloon's approach to landing, which resulted in a hard landing and fatal passenger injury when the passenger fell out of the basket.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB WPR21LA158
FAA register: https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N477LB
Location
Media:
NTSB investigating the Sat., Jan. 23, 2021, accident involving a Lindstrand 77A balloon, Rio Rancho, NM. The NTSB is not traveling to the scene.
— NTSB_Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) January 24, 2021
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Jan-2021 02:14 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 25-Jan-2021 13:42 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Phase, Nature, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 25-Jan-2021 13:56 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 27-Jan-2021 21:48 | RobertMB | Updated [Total fatalities, Narrative] |
| 30-Jan-2021 01:40 | Captain Adam | Updated [Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation