Cameron O-65 accident near Pickney, Michigan, April 28, 1986
On April 28, 1986, a Cameron O-65 (balloon), registered N298CB, was involved in an accident near Pickney, Michigan. 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 28, 1986
- Place
- Pickney, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cameron O-65
- Registration
- N298CB · registry record · serial 475
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE BALLOONEST HAD BRIEFED AND POSITIONED HIS TWO PAX FOR A ANTICIPATED HARD/DRAG LANDING IN A 9 KT WIND. HE STATED THE BALLOON TOUCHED AND BOUNCED THEN TOUCHED AND BOUNCED AGAIN BEFORE IT ENTERED THE DRAG SEQUENCE OF THE LANDING. THE FEMALE PAX SUFFERED A FRACTURE OF THE TIBIA DURING THE SECOND BOUNCE.
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: 172 hours in all; 172 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 159 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 245 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 4, 1985; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 800 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Dexter MI at 11:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 110° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:52 pm from DET, 39 miles away
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.
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.