Aerostar RX8 N5294Q accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico

Probable cause

The pilot's delay in deflating the balloon envelope completely after landing, which resulted in a loss of control due to a wind gust.

NTSB analysis

After 50 minutes of flight, the commercial pilot landed the balloon and waited for his ground handling crew to arrive. One passenger exited the basket and the pilot and second passenger remained in the basket. When the ground crew arrived, the second passenger and pilot were beginning to exit the basket when a gust of wind pushed the envelope and basket over to a 45° angle. The pilot asked the passenger to hold on and began pulling the envelope deflation line. After a few seconds, the wind shifted and rotated the basket. The pilot and passenger were tossed out of the basket onto the ground. The passenger fell, resulting in a fracture of her shoulder.

The nearest weather reporting facility, located about 15 nautical miles from the accident site, reported wind at 12 knots. The pilot reported that the wind was variable at 3 knots and gusting to 14 knots. The pilot's delay in pulling the vent line completely and deflating the balloon envelope likely made the balloon uncontrollable when the wind gusted. The pilot stated that he should have had the passenger sit down in the bottom of the basket and should have had the ground crew person release the line when the wind shifted.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN16LA030 for the full record.