Aerostar RX 8 accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, October 9, 2007
On October 9, 2007 at about 3:20 pm local time, a Aerostar RX 8 (balloon), registered N5315M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico. 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 inability to maintain aircraft control due to high winds, resulting in the aircraft coming in contact with an arroyo and a wall in a residential area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 9, 2007 · about 3:20 pm local time
- Place
- Albuquerque, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerostar RX 8
- Registration
- N5315M · registry record · serial RX8-3355
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The balloon was participating in the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. The pilot said she flew between 200 and 400 feet agl (above ground level) for the first 15 minutes, then flew between 1,000 and 1,500 feet for about an hour. She said low level winds were from the south, and she flew "far enough north to have open landing areas to the south." She then descended to 200 feet and flew south. The wind speed was between 5 and 10 knots. She selected a "short open area" but there was a fence and the winds were "too fast" to land. "At 100 feet agl, had false heavy" (sic) and wind velocity had increased 15 to 20 knots. The balloon landed on the north side of 100 acres of desert. bounced, and was dragged 150 to 200 feet. The pilot noted that "at the time of launch, the winds were calm but that condition changed unexpectedly. I took the best landing site available at the time." Beyond that point was a congested housing area, a mesa, and a national park. The latter had an uneven lava bed with ravines, trees, and boulders and probably high wind velocities. The pilot told the police department that she had flown south, then west. On approach to the selected landing spot, a gust of wind caused the balloon to drift in the wrong direction and it struck a wall in a residential area. The police report indicated the pilot had fractured her pelvic bone.
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: 741 hours in all; 640 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 741 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: None
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 175 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 1,480 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Albuquerque NM at 2:00 pm
- Destination: NONE Albuquerque NM
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.38 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 am from ABQ
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.
Other NTSB records under N5315M 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 DEN08LA007.