Piccard P-80 accident near Peaster, Texas, June 23, 1990
On June 23, 1990 at about 1:50 pm local time, a Piccard P-80 (balloon), registered N99US, was destroyed in an accident near Peaster, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
AN EXCESSIVE RATE OF DESCENT DURING THE APPROACH.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 23, 1990 · about 1:50 pm local time
- Place
- Peaster, Texas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piccard P-80
- Registration
- N99US · no longer on the register · serial 6-99
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT, AS HE APPROACHED THE LANDING SITE, HAD THE VENT OPEN IN ORDER TO MAKE HIS INTENDED TOUCHDOWN POINT. A HARD LANDING RESULTED AND THE BASKET TIPPED OVER. THE BALLOON BURNER PILOT LIGHT IGNITED A GRASS FIRE RESULTING IN SERIOUS BURNS BEING INFLICTED UPON THE PILOT AND THE DESTRUCTION OF THE BALLOON. A WITNESS REPORTED THAT THE BALLOON BURNERS WERE OPERATING 'CONSTANTLY' DURING THE FINAL APPROACH.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 2,405 hours in all; 2,137 in this make and model; 1,063 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 240 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 22, 1989; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 135° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.