Aerostar International Inc RXS-8 accident near Flemington, New Jersey, July 16, 2001
On July 16, 2001, a Aerostar International Inc RXS-8 (balloon), registered N7106F, was involved in an accident near Flemington, New Jersey. It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
pilot's continued flight into known adverse weather conditions, which resulted in a hard landing. A factor was the downdrafts.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 2001
- Place
- Flemington, New Jersey
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerostar International Inc RXS-8 · all RXS-8s on the register
- Registration
- N7106F · no longer on the register · serial RZS8-3054
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot checked the weather at 1400 and 1700, and determined that there was no significant weather forecasted along the intended route of flight. He and his passengers departed around 1900 along with several other balloons for the sightseeing flight. The pilot said that clouds began to gather to the northwest during the flight, and "the cell became more ominous" and "apparent that it would overtake us." The pilot said that the wind shifted and increased in speed, and each attempt to land was aborted due to the high vertical wind shear. On the last attempt to land, the pilot said that "violent down drafts" were experienced and he was unable to abort the landing. The balloon made contact with a tree, and was momentarily tangled. Once free, the pilot observed power lines and a cell phone tower, and elected to "pull the top" about 30-feet above the ground. The balloon contacted the ground at a high rate of descent and forward airspeed, which resulted in the balloon being dragged about 70 feet. The pilot reported that the weather was overcast with light rain, and the winds were from the northwest at a speed greater than 10 knots. Examination of a radar summary chart revealed that the primary radar site for New Jersey was not available. However, the surrounding radar sites did deflect echoes in the northern New Jersey area, but only reported level 1 and 2 activity.
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: 249 hours in all; 10 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 231 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 11, 1999
- Medical certificate: None
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 269 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 26, 2001; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Rarinton NJ at 11:00 pm
- Destination: NONE Flemington NJ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 11:54 pm from 12N, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number IAD01LA080.