Lindstrand Balloons 90A accident near Mukwonago, Wisconsin, June 17, 2002
On June 17, 2002 at about 1:00 am local time, a Lindstrand Balloons 90A, registered N40051, was involved in an accident near Mukwonago, Wisconsin. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadequate weather evaluation by the pilot and high winds.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 17, 2002 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Mukwonago, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Lindstrand Balloons 90A · all 90As on the register
- Registration
- N40051 · registry record · serial 5096
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The balloon flight made a hard landing in 12-15 knots winds seriously injuring one of the two passengers aboard. The pilot delayed the flight and checked the weather several times before arriving at the launch site where the decision to launch was made. The pilot released two pibals at his residence located about 10 miles northeast of the launch site. The first pibal, released 1 hour and 10 minutes before the flight, headed towards 120-130 degrees at 12 knots. The second pibal, released 50 minutes before the flight, traveled in the same direction at a slower speed. During the drive to the launch site, the pilot noticed darkening skies and clouds to the northwest which he queried about when he called for an updated weather briefing. About 30 minutes after departure, the pilot noticed a breeze with a 190 degree change in wind direction and a decrease in speed. They proceeded westbound and began an ascent to 400 feet agl to clear power lines at which time the balloon was traveling about 15 knots towards the west. The pilot then descended to look for a landing area and stated that a gust pushed the balloon into trees during a landing approach. He heated the balloon, which was traveling about 12 knots, in order to get through the trees and attempted another landing. He told his passengers to prepare for a fast landing as they were traveling about 12-15 knots. The balloon came to rest 100 yards from the initial point of impact. Weather radar indicated an area of convective activity about 24 miles west of the accident site.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 328 hours in all; 138 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 257 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 19, 2001
- Medical certificate: None
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,310 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: Waukesha WI
- Destination: WI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 100° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,500 ft; clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N40051 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 CHI02LA169.