National Balloon 858 accident near Colorado Spring, Colorado, September 5, 1987
On September 5, 1987 at about 2:00 pm local time, a National Balloon 858, registered N32201, was substantially damaged in an accident near Colorado Spring, Colorado. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 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
- September 5, 1987 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Colorado Spring, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- National Balloon 858
- Registration
- N32201 · no longer on the register · serial 111
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE COMMERCIAL BALLOON PLT WAS COMPETING IN A BALLOON RACE. WHILE LANDING, WITH THE BASKET ON THE GROUND, THE BALLOON DRIFTED INTO POWER LINES. A LARGE HOLE WAS BURNED IN THE ENVELOPE, AND THE BASKET WAS DAMAGED. THE PLT AND TWO PASSENGERS JUMPED FROM THE BASKET JUST PRIOR TO WIRE CONTACT AND WERE NOT INJURED.
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: 230 hours in all; 230 in this make and model; 210 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 112 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1987; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 600 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Unknown UNKNOWN (type not recorded); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 135° at 5 knots
- Sky: scat
- 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.