Adams Balloon A55S N4010K accident near Durango, Colorado

Probable cause

The ground crewmember’s failure to immediately let go of the balloon after it began an inadvertent climb while landing.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that the hot air ballon flight lasted about 45 minutes and covered a distance of about 1.2 miles at 1,000 ft above ground level. During landing, a person assisting with recovery of another balloon came over to assist with recovery of the accident balloon. She grabbed the edge of the basket upon initial contact with the ground in an attempt to stabilize the balloon. However, the basket subsequently lifted off the ground 4 to 5 ft before coming to a stop. As the balloon became airborne again, the person assisting lost her hold on the basket and fell to the ground. The person did not initially seek medical treatment, but later in the day, she was diagnosed with a broken leg. There was no damage to the balloon, nor were there any injuries to the pilot and two passengers onboard.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN26LA108 for the full record.