Cameron N-145 accident near Woody Creek, Colorado, August 8, 1993
On August 8, 1993 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cameron N-145 (balloon), registered N4141D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Woody Creek, Colorado. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 6 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE BY THE PILOT IN COMMAND TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALTITUDE AND VISUAL LOOKOUT. A FACTOR WAS HIGH WIND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 1993 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Woody Creek, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 6 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cameron N-145
- Registration
- N4141D · registry record · serial 5682
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON A LOCAL PASSENGER SIGHT SEEING FLIGHT, THE BALLOON ENCOUNTERED A WIND SHIFT AND HIGH WINDS. WHILE DRIFTING AT HIGH SPEED AND LOW ALTITUDE, THE BALLOON STRUCK THE STATIC LINE OF A POWER TRANSMISSION SPAN. THE BASKET WAS SEVERED FROM THE BALLOON AND FELL APPROXIMATELY 108 FEET.
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: 444 hours in all; 42 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 372 as pilot in command; 21 on instruments
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 317 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 4, 1993; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,590 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Snowmass CO at 12:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; not recorded at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 12:30 pm from GCT, 70 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.