Aerostar RX8 accident near Rio Rancho, New Mexico, November 26, 1995
On November 26, 1995 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Aerostar RX8 (balloon), registered N6360U, was involved in an accident near Rio Rancho, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 3 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper planning/decision. A factor relating to the accident was: the high wind condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 26, 1995 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Rio Rancho, New Mexico
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 3 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerostar RX8
- Registration
- N6360U · no longer on the register · serial RX8-3132
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the wind speed was 10 to 12 mph and he 'briefed the passengers on a high-wind landing procedure' of the balloon. To facilitate a landing, he 'ripped-out' the deflation port after clearing an arroyo and some bushes. Also, he reported that 'On impact one of the passengers...let go and did a backward somersault out of the basket. When the passenger righted herself, the basket struck her, breaking her right collar-bone.'
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: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 616 hours in all; 133 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 161 as pilot in command; 55 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 194 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 12, 1994; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 20,000 ft; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 pm from ABQ, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.