Head Balloons INC AX8-88 accident near Guilford, Connecticut, July 24, 2023
On July 24, 2023 at about 1:24 am local time, a 1992 Head Balloons INC AX8-88, registered N4522E, was involved in an accident during standing near Guilford, Connecticut (Fairground airport). It was an aerial observation flight 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 pilot’s inadequate supervision of the boarding process and the ground crewmember’s failure to immediately let go of the balloon after it began an inadvertent climb.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 2023 · about 1:24 am local time
- Place
- Guilford, Connecticut · Fairground · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Head Balloons INC AX8-88, built 1992 · all AX8-88s on the register
- Registration
- N4522E · registry record · serial 183
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had been operating the hot air balloon for several hours and was providing tethered flights to passengers at a fairground during a night event. The pilot described that at the conclusion of a several minute flight, he would land and exchange passengers. To maintain the weight of the balloon during the passenger exchange, one passenger would disembark and then would be replaced by a boarding passenger. There were also several (volunteer) ground crewmembers who would keep their weight on the balloon’s basket and help control the flow of passengers in and out of the basket. Shortly before the accident, the pilot was assisting a passenger with boarding when two passengers unexpectedly disembarked. The balloon suddenly started to rise, and the pilot yelled, “clear, watch the ropes,” which was the signal to the ground crewmembers to take their hands off the basket and to make sure that none of the exiting passengers got caught in the tether ropes. As the balloon rose, the pilot felt a shake, and when he looked over the side of the basket, he saw one of the ground crewmembers lying on the ground. One of the passengers described that when she stepped off the balloon, it began rising. She saw a ground crewmember hanging on the outside of the basket as it climbed. When the balloon reached about 15 to 20 feet above the ground, the ground crewmember let go. The ground crewmember was seriously injured during the fall.
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
What happened, in order
- Aircraft loading event during standing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Task monitoring/vigilance › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Ground crew
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 2,328 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 2,310 as pilot in command; 378 on instruments
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: none
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 659 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on February 22, 2024. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Inspector Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Summary of FAA Interview with Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Witness Statements | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N4522E the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA23LA315.