Piccard AX-6 accident near Springtown, Texas, March 12, 1983
On March 12, 1983 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Piccard AX-6 (balloon), registered N99US, was involved in an accident near Springtown, Texas. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. 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
- March 12, 1983 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Springtown, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piccard AX-6 · all AX-6s on the register
- Registration
- N99US · no longer on the register · serial 699
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE BALLOON WAS ON A 'HARE & HOUND' COMPETITION FLIGHT WITH A COMMERCIAL PLT & STUDENT PLT ON BOARD. AFTER THE COMPETITION PORTION WAS COMPLETED, THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND TOLD THE STUDENT TO TAKE CONTROL & CONTINUE FLYING, THEN LAND AT HER DISCRETION. AFTER ABOUT 15 MIN, THE STUDENT DECIDED TO LAND IN AN OPEN FIELD. THE PIC REPORTED THAT A 'TYPICAL' LANDING WAS MADE WITH A DRAG OF APRX 15 FT. DURING GROUND CONTACT, THE STUDENT STRUCK HER KNEE ON AN LP GAS BOTTLE & RECEIVED A SMALL FRACTURE OF THE RIGHT FEMUR. THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE WIND WAS FROM 180 AT 10 GUSTING 12 KTS.
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: 330 hours in all; 320 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 300 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 182 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 65 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: None (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TX16 Aledo TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.
Other NTSB records under N99US the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.