Piccard AX6W accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, October 8, 1984
On October 8, 1984 at about 2:25 pm local time, a Piccard AX6W (balloon), registered N47DP, suffered minor damage in an accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico (Albuquerque Int'L airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- October 8, 1984 · about 2:25 pm local time
- Place
- Albuquerque, New Mexico · Albuquerque Int'L · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piccard AX6W · all AX6Ws on the register
- Registration
- N47DP · registry record · serial 768
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT STATED HE OBSERVED THE WIRE ABOUT 3 SECS BEFORE COLLISION. ELECTRICAL SHORT CIRCUIT SEVERED LOAD CABLES TO BASKET, WHICH FELL TO THE GROUND, CAUSING PERSONNEL INJURIES. BALLOON ENVELOPE DRIFTED AWAY, FINALLY COMING TO REST 150 MI FROM ACCIDENT SITE.
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: 369 hours in all; 369 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 15, 1984; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Albuquerque NM at 1:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from ABQ, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.