Cameron N-120 accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, October 4, 1998
On October 4, 1998 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Cameron N-120 (balloon), registered N1607G, was involved in an accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The balloon's encounter with unforecasted wind shear and the subsequent inadvertent collision with terrain. A factor was the pilot's inability to control the balloon's descent.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 4, 1998 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Albuquerque, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cameron N-120
- Registration
- N1607G · no longer on the register · serial 5930
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and his passengers went for a short ride at Albuquerque's Balloon Fiesta when he encountered wind shear. The pilot and a pilot rated passenger executed a burn to control the descent. The burn was unsuccessful. The balloon made a hard landing, and one passenger broke her leg. The balloon was not damaged in the landing, although the basket did tip over while the pilot was attempting to deflate the balloon.
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: single-engine land; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 1,850 hours in all; 296 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 1,785 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 271 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 7, 1998; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ABQ NM at 2:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 3 |
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.