Cameron Balloons Us A-225 N980VA accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico

Probable cause

The balloon landing in increased wind, and the pilot’s inability to maintain the proper descent rate, which resulted in a hard landing.

NTSB analysis

The hot air balloon pilot reported that he performed a safety briefing with all eight passengers before they boarded the balloon. During the flight the winds, which were forecasted to be about 3 knots at the time of landing, increased to 14 kts, gusting to 19 kts. The pilot determined that the planned landing area did not provide sufficient room for a safe landing due to the increase in wind speed and elected to divert to a more open area. The balloon crossed over a valley and encountered a downdraft, which the pilot said he unsuccessfully attempted to overcome using the gas burners. He activated the rapid-deflation system to help prevent dragging; the balloon touched down hard and was dragged by the wind as it deflated. The balloon landed hard at about 23 kts, which resulted in a serious injury to one of the passengers.

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions with the balloon that would have precluded normal operations.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR26LA052 for the full record.