Aerostar International, Inc. RX 8 accident near Claremont, Minnesota, July 21, 2006
On July 21, 2006, a Aerostar International, Inc. RX 8 (balloon), registered N3639Q, was involved in an accident near Claremont, Minnesota. It was an other work-use 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 procedure not followed by the passenger during landing and the inadequate supervision of the passenger by the pilot during landing. A contributing factors were the barbed wire fence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 2006
- Place
- Claremont, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerostar International, Inc. RX 8
- Registration
- N3639Q · no longer on the register · serial RX8-3057
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A passenger sustained a broken ankle upon landing during a balloon flight. The balloon struck a barbed wire fence and then impacted a road bank. The passenger stated that during the landing, the chase crew yelled out there was a fence. The pilot stated that the passenger was observed not following landing instructions by not facing the direction of travel but her left side was facing the direction of travel. She stated that they had been taught during the class to face the direction of travel with knees flexed for landing. She stated that there was not enough room in the basket with her husband standing behind her and the pilot standing to her left. She was holding onto a rope handle in the balloon and was trying to move a water bottle on the floor of the basket with her left foot at the time of the landing.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 1,085 hours in all; 48 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 992 as pilot in command; 118 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 320.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 1,480 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: Dodge Center MN
- Destination: Clairmont MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from TOB
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 N3639Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.