Head Balloons INC AX8-88 accident near Ft. Wayne, Indiana, September 12, 2010
On September 12, 2010 at about 11:40 pm local time, a Head Balloons INC AX8-88, registered N2064W, was involved in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Ft. Wayne, Indiana. It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for the landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 12, 2010 · about 11:40 pm local time · cases in 2010
- Place
- Ft. Wayne, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Head Balloons INC AX8-88 · all AX8-88s on the register
- Registration
- N2064W · registry record · serial 340
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The balloon was airborne for approximately 30 minutes prior to the pilot setting up for a landing in a grassy area alongside a road. The pilot reported that the ground crew informed him that there was a ditch running parallel to the side of the road. The balloon touched down in a bean field, about 20 feet from the grass area, and the ground crew grabbed the basket as it moved into the grass. The ground crew was not able to stop the basket and it traveled into the 10-foot deep ditch. The balloon came to rest at the bottom of the ditch with the ground crew still hanging on. One of the two passengers on board suffered a fractured leg. The injured passenger stated that she thought that either the other passenger or the pilot hit her leg during the landing. There was no damage to the balloon envelope or basket.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Sloped/uneven › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 615 hours in all; 615 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 607 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 7, 2010
- Medical certificate: None
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 206 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 22, 2010
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Operator: Windswept Aeronauts INC
The flight
- Departed from: Ft. Wayne IN
- Destination: Ft. Wayne IN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 14,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 11:54 pm from FWA, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on September 28, 2010. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2064W on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Head Balloons Inc AX8 116 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Accidents and incidents in Indiana 1,367 since 1982 · 179 in the last ten years
- Indiana 5,702 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN10CA543.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.