Barnes AX-6B accident near Decatur, Alabama, May 28, 1983
On May 28, 1983 at about 11:45 am local time, a Barnes AX-6B (balloon), registered N2023H, was destroyed in an accident near Decatur, Alabama. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 28, 1983 · about 11:45 am local time
- Place
- Decatur, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Barnes AX-6B
- Registration
- N2023H · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE BALLOON WAS LAUNCHED FROM A FIELD WITH POWER LINES ALONG THE EAST SIDE AFTER ANOTHER BALLOON WAS LAUNCHED. THE FIRST BALLOON WAS APRX 50 FT FROM THE POWER LINE WHEN IT WAS LAUNCHED. WHEN IT TOOKOFF, IT TRAVELED TO THE NORTH NORTHWEST & REMAINED WELL CLEAR OF THE POWER LINES. THE SECOND BALLOON, N2023H, LIFTED OFF APRX 35 FT FROM THE POWER LINES. IMMEDIATELY AFTER LIFT-OFF, N2023H CLIMBED TOWARDS THE POWER LINES & CONTACTED THE TOP TWO WIRES. ELECTRICAL ARCING OCCURRED WHICH DAMAGED THE GONDOLA. THE PLT WAS BURNED ON HIS RIGHT SIDE, RIGHT ARM & RIGHT SIDE OF HIS FACE, AND WAS INCAPACITATED. THE PASSENGER RECEIVED ONLY MINOR BURNS TO HIS HANDS & WAS ABLE TO LAND THE BALLOON WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. LATER, THE PLT STATED THAT THERE WAS A SUDDEN WIND SHIFT.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 2,800 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 180 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1982; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.