Cameron N105 - NO SERIES accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, October 5, 2013
On October 5, 2013 at about 1:05 pm local time, a 1996 Cameron N105 - NO SERIES (balloon), registered N4113T, was involved in an accident during landing near Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was a personal 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 decision to land the balloon from a high approach altitude due to high winds, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 2013 · about 1:05 pm local time · cases in 2013
- Place
- Albuquerque, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cameron N105 - NO SERIES NO SERIES, built 1996
- Registration
- N4113T · registry record · serial 6072
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot took off with several other balloons as part of that day's Dawn Patrol flight at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Throughout the flight, the pilot changed altitude several times to find an average wind between 18 and 26 mph. The sun was coming up, and the pilot saw other Dawn Patrol pilots starting to land. As he descended to near-treetop level for his landing approach to a golf course, the balloon experienced a false heavy condition (when descending into a faster moving air mass or wind shear, the air flow over the balloon pulls the balloon down) in which the balloon descended sooner than the pilot wanted. He applied the burners to avoid a house and power lines. As the balloon came back down, the pilot saw that the wind was about 22 mph. The pilot and the two passengers got down in the basket in preparation for the high-wind landing. About 20 feet above the ground, the pilot shut off the burners, pulled open the vent, and the balloon hit the ground flat and square. The basket tipped over and dragged about 25 feet before stopping. About 13 minutes before the accident the weather conditions at the nearest aviation weather station included wind from 360 degrees at 9 knots.
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
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › High wind › Effect on operation
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 3,504 hours in all; 3,504 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days; 3,504 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 2, 2013
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: unk
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: Albuquerque NM at 12:15 pm
- Destination: Albuquerque NM
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 12:52 pm from ABQ, 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 December 16, 2013. 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 |
| 2 | Memorandum of Conversation, Mr. Tim Taylor | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Weather Information | PDF, 6 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
- N4113T on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Accidents and incidents in New Mexico 1,423 since 1982 · 184 in the last ten years
- New Mexico 3,114 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN14LA005.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.