Head Balloons, Inc. AX8-88 accident near Mesquite, Texas, July 29, 1995
On July 29, 1995 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Head Balloons, Inc. AX8-88, registered N4516R, suffered minor damage in an accident near Mesquite, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE WEATHER EVALUATION AND THE CREWMEMBER'S FAILURE TO HOLD ONTO THE BASKET. A FACTOR WAS THE HIGH WIND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 29, 1995 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mesquite, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Head Balloons, Inc. AX8-88
- Registration
- N4516R · registry record · serial 165
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A SUSTAINED GUST OF WIND OF 15-20 MPH DRAGGED THE BASKET ALONG THE GROUND DURING LANDING. A CREWMEMBER FELL OUT OF THE BASKET WHEN HE STOPPED HOLDING ON TO THE BASKET TO PUT HIS HANDS OVER HIS GLASSES. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE COULD NOT ABORT THE LANDING DUE TO THE LOCATION OF A POWERLINE TRACK.
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: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 160 hours in all; 160 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 160 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 31, 1995; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 12:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 15 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 2 |
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.