Aerostar RX-8 accident near Sterling, Colorado, May 15, 2001
On May 15, 2001 at about 1:45 pm local time, a Aerostar RX-8 (balloon), registered N4031A, suffered minor damage in an accident near Sterling, Colorado. It was a personal flight 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
failure by the pilot to control descent rate during approach to land. A factor was a temperature inversion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 15, 2001 · about 1:45 pm local time
- Place
- Sterling, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerostar RX-8
- Registration
- N4031A · registry record · serial RX8-3288
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
At the completion of a local area passenger flight, the balloon encountered a temperature inversion during approach. The pilot did not adequately adjust for the increased rate of descent and a hard landing occurred. The pilot was thrown from the balloon and one of the passengers jumped. The balloon then ascended and the balloon crew chief talked the remaining passenger through a successful landing. The pilot received serious injuries and her two passengers minor injuries.
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: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 344 hours in all; 153 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 312 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 4, 2000
- Medical certificate: None
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 162 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 11, 2000; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Sterling CO at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.