Thunder & Colt Airborne Amer AX10 180 accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, February 20, 2017
On February 20, 2017 at about 3:45 pm local time, a 1993 Thunder & Colt Airborne Amer AX10 180 (balloon), registered N709TC, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Albuquerque, New Mexico (Albuquerque Intl Sunport airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 10 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s delayed reaction to the balloon’s increased rate of descent during an attempted landing, which resulted in impact with a power line.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 20, 2017 · about 3:45 pm local time · cases in 2017
- Place
- Albuquerque, New Mexico · Albuquerque Intl Sunport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 10 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Thunder & Colt Airborne Amer AX10 180 S1, built 1993
- Registration
- N709TC · no longer on the register · serial 2444
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot of the balloon was performing a local sightseeing flight. The balloon took off from a field, climbed, and drifted southeast. As the balloon approached an interstate, the pilot began a descent to land on a field near a university campus. About 100 to 140 ft above ground level (agl), the balloon entered a rapid descent. The pilot applied maximum fuel to the burner system to arrest the descent; however, the descent continued. The pilot stopped the descent about 50 ft agl and the balloon began to climb again; upon reaching 75 ft agl, the balloon gondola contacted power lines. The contact caused electricity to arc through the gondola, severing two of the four suspension cables. The pilot "hand-removed" the power line from the gondola, applied heat to the burner system, and climbed away from the power lines. The pilot subsequently made an uneventful landing on a soccer field at the university about a mile away from the power lines. The National Weather Service (NWS) surface analysis chart depicted a cold front, which was located immediately south of the area at the time of the accident and moving across the state. The front resulted in a shift of the prevailing wind to the north-northwest with an increasing pressure gradient behind the front. Some lifting would be associated ahead of the front and then would subside but wouldn't be classified as strong downdrafts near the accident site. Though not conclusive, it is possible that the shifting wind and changing weather conditions could have affected the performance of the balloon, causing an increase in its descent rate during the pilot's landing approach.
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
- Loss of control in flight during approach defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Effect on equipment
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Downdraft › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 647 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 647 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 21, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: Albuquerque NM at 2:45 pm
- Destination: Albuquerque NM
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 3:52 pm from ABQ, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 9 |
Photographs from the investigation 7 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – Balloon Gondola
Photo 2 – Gondola Damage
Photo 3 – Suspension Cables Damage
Photo 4 – Second Suspension Cables Damage
Photo 5 – Second Suspension Cables Damage, Detail
Photo 6 - Burners
Photo 7 – Balloon EnvelopeThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on July 17, 2017. 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, 12 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Witness Statements | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 3 | NTSB Senior Meteorologist's Weather Summary | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Albuquerque, Nm Weather History 2-20-2017 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Photographs | PDF, 7 pages · our copy | 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
- N709TC: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Thunder & Colt Airborne Amer 43 aircraft on the register
- Albuquerque International Sunport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in New Mexico 1,423 since 1982 · 184 in the last ten years
- New Mexico 3,108 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN17LA118.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.