Cameron V-77 accident near Elbert, Colorado, March 28, 1999
On March 28, 1999 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cameron V-77 (balloon), registered N74008, was involved in an accident near Elbert, Colorado. 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 pilot's failure to maintain a proper descent rate during touchdown, resulting in a hard landing. A factor was the passenger's failure to properly position herself for the landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 28, 1999 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Elbert, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cameron V-77
- Registration
- N74008 · registry record · serial 5104
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Upon landing in a field, the basket tipped on its side and was dragged approximately 100 feet across the level, smooth ground. The passenger lost her grip on the uprights (nylon poles which support the propane burner above the basket) and her arm was subsequently caught between the basket and the ground. Upon impact, her collar bone was broken. The pilot stated in his accident report that a recommendation he could make to have helped prevent the accident would have been to make a 'slower descent.' According to the pilot, at approximately 250 feet agl during landing, the winds decreased from 10 to between 5 to 7 mph.
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: instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: balloon; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,300 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 299 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 9, 1998; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,540 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Black Forest CO at 1:15 pm
- Destination: NONE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.