Adams Balloon A55S accident near Durango, Colorado, January 30, 2026
On January 30, 2026 at about 4:30 pm local time, a 2017 Adams Balloon A55S, registered N4010K, was involved in an accident during landing near Durango, Colorado (N/A airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The ground crewmember’s failure to immediately let go of the balloon after it began an inadvertent climb while landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 30, 2026 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Durango, Colorado · N/A · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Adams Balloon A55S, built 2017 · all A55Ss on the register
- Registration
- N4010K · registry record · serial 245
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the hot air ballon flight lasted about 45 minutes and covered a distance of about 1.2 miles at 1,000 ft above ground level. During landing, a person assisting with recovery of another balloon came over to assist with recovery of the accident balloon. She grabbed the edge of the basket upon initial contact with the ground in an attempt to stabilize the balloon. However, the basket subsequently lifted off the ground 4 to 5 ft before coming to a stop. As the balloon became airborne again, the person assisting lost her hold on the basket and fell to the ground. The person did not initially seek medical treatment, but later in the day, she was diagnosed with a broken leg. There was no damage to the balloon, nor were there any injuries to the pilot and two passengers onboard.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Ground crew
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 749 hours in all; 146 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: September 7, 2025
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: none
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 133 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 16, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: N/A N/A (none); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N/A Durango CO at 3:45 pm
- Destination: N/A Durango CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.40 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 am from KDRO, 15 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KDRO 301653Z AUTO 11004KT 10SM CLR M02/M10 A3040
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on March 19, 2026. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N4010K the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 CEN26LA108.