Aerostar International S53A accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, October 7, 2022
On October 7, 2022 at about 4:21 pm local time, a Aerostar International S53A (balloon), registered N9140F, suffered minor damage 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inability to find a suitable landing area in a critical fuel situation and his decision to land on a highway, which resulted in the balloon impacting a bridge railing and terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 7, 2022 · about 4:21 pm local time
- Place
- Albuquerque, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerostar International S53A
- Registration
- N9140F · registry record · serial S53A-3052
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was descending to land following a normal balloon flight. About 1,000 ft agl, the wind shifted direction, and the balloon began drifting over areas unsuitable for landing. The balloon had been airborne for an hour and a half, and fuel in the two tanks were about 20 and 35.9 percent respectively. With low fuel becoming critical and few options for a suitable landing site, the pilot elected to land the balloon on a highway. During the landing, the balloon struck a bridge railing and came down in a wooded area next to a river. One of the passengers on board sustained serious injuries. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the balloon that would have precluded normal operations. The pilot reported that he should have landed sooner.
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 during takeoff/land during landing defining event
- Fuel related during approach
- Miscellaneous/other during approach
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › (general) › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Sudden wind shift › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 26,787 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 26,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 2, 2020
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: none
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: Albuquerque NM at 7:30 am
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Temperature: 60°F (16°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 am from ABQ, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN23LA006.