Head Balloons, Inc. AX9-118 accident near Cook, Minnesota, July 31, 2008
On July 31, 2008 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Head Balloons, Inc. AX9-118, registered N3106K, was destroyed in an accident during landing near Cook, Minnesota. 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to land in a confined area. Contributing to the accident were the hidden power transmission lines and the confined landing site.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 2008 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Cook, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Head Balloons, Inc. AX9-118
- Registration
- N3106K · no longer on the register · serial 292
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After a 15-20 minute balloon flight, the pilot began to look for a suitable landing area. The selected landing area was a road within a heavily wooded area. The pilot said that he did not see the power transmission lines that were hidden in the tree line alongside the road. During the landing, the surface winds blew the balloon envelope "in close proximity to the wires." According to the pilot, about five minutes after landing the balloon envelope lost enough hot air that it deflated on lines and caught on fire. An eyewitness reported seeing the balloon flying low over the forested area and then very thick black smoke. The pilot told local law enforcement that the balloon envelope contacted the power transmission lines before the basket touched-down. The law enforcement accident report stated that there was a "small showering of sparks and a very small flame" when the balloon envelope came in contact with the power lines. The balloon envelope was destroyed by the ensuing fire.
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 with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing defining event
- Fire/smoke (post-impact) during post (impact)
The NTSB's findings
- factor Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Awareness of condition
- factor Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Hidden/submerged object › Awareness of condition
- factor Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › (general) › Contributed to outcome
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 13,000 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 11,200 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 220 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 1,660 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine:; 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Lake Vermilion MN at 1:00 pm
- Destination: Cook MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.78 inHg
- Observation at 1:35 pm from CQM, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
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.