Avian Balloon SKYHAWK N2067Q accident near Bucyrus, Ohio

Probable cause

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

NTSB analysis

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.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA23LA377 for the full record.