Aerostar S-60A accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, October 10, 1997
On October 10, 1997 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Aerostar S-60A (balloon), registered N7154E, was involved in an accident near Albuquerque, 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 passenger failing to follow the pilot's instructions as to the proper brace position to assume for landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 10, 1997 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Albuquerque, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 3 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerostar S-60A
- Registration
- N7154E · no longer on the register · serial S60A-3210
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he gave his passengers a preflight briefing that included the positions to assume during landing in the hot air balloon. After flying for about 30 minutes, a landing approach was initiated. The pilot instructed his passengers to assume the landing position, which they did. The position consists of facing the direction of travel, knees slightly bent, and grasping the handholds. The landing 'was (made) at 200 feet per minute.' The pilot (who is a physician) said that when the balloon touched down, one passenger fell to a squatting position and her foot was 'laterally rotated 45 degrees,' sustaining 'an open reduction (fracture) with internal fixation' of her ankle.
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: 116 hours in all; 113 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 93 as pilot in command; 7 on instruments
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 78 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 4, 1997; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE NM at 2:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from ABQ
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.
Other NTSB records under N7154E 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.