National Ballooning LTD 858 accident near Pierce, Nebraska, June 17, 2012
On June 17, 2012 at about 12:15 pm local time, a National Ballooning LTD 858, registered N9005E, was involved in an accident during landing near Pierce, Nebraska. It was an air show or air race 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 balloon pilot’s encounter with increased wind during landing, which resulted in a hard landing and a passenger’s injury.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 17, 2012 · about 12:15 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Pierce, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- National Ballooning LTD 858 · all 858s on the register
- Registration
- N9005E · registry record · serial 146
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Air show or air race flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was participating with about eight other balloons in an early morning mass ascension. After about 45 minutes of flight, the pilot observed that the wind had increased and determined that a “high-wind landing” would be necessary. His two passengers had not experienced a balloon flight before, and the pilot instructed them that they should hold on tightly and face forward, with their feet pointed straight ahead and their knees bent to absorb the shock of the landing. He also advised them that the basket would likely tip over during the landing. The balloon initially touched down hard in a flat, harvested field, then bounced and touched down a second time. The pilot reported his ground speed was about 13 to 14 mph. During the second touchdown the basket tipped over and was dragged about 100 feet, coming to rest on its side in an adjacent cornfield. The pilot deflated the balloon envelope and the three occupants began to climb out of the basket. The 70-year old passenger was seriously injured during the landing. The balloon was not damaged. The pilot said that he thought the passenger’s injury occurred because she did not have her feet pointed straight ahead during the landing.
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
- Hard landing during landing defining event
- Dragged wing/rotor/float/other during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › High wind › Effect on operation
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Communication (personnel) › Following instructions › Passenger
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 219 hours in all; 210 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 5 as pilot in command; 5 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 3, 2012
- Medical certificate: None
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 210 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 12, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 1,430 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: KOFK Norfolk NE at 11:30 am
- Destination: Pierce NE
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 am from KOFK, 14 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
3 documents, released by the NTSB on July 17, 2012. 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, 13 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation with the Pilot | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Maps | PDF, 3 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
- N9005E on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- National Ballooning Ltd 858 48 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Norfolk Rgnl/Karl Stefan Memorial Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Nebraska 763 since 1982 · 108 in the last ten years
- Nebraska 2,950 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN12CA393.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.