Ultramagic Sa Z-90 N290UM accident near Del Mar, California

Probable cause

The passenger’s intentional departure from the balloon in flight as an act of suicide.

NTSB analysis

The flight was reported to be a celebration of life sunset flight with one passenger. Shortly after takeoff, about 1,300 ft mean sea level, the passenger asked the pilot for privacy for ceremonial reasons, and the pilot turned his back. About 20 to 30 seconds later, the pilot felt a shift in the basket and realized that the passenger had jumped from the balloon. The pilot stated he observed the passenger descending toward the ground. A postmortem report issued by the medical examiner listed the passenger’s cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries, and the manner of death as suspected suicide.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR24LA142 for the full record.