Semco CHALLENGER accident near Tucson, Arizona, September 10, 1983
On September 10, 1983 at about 1:30 am local time, a Semco CHALLENGER (balloon), registered N8554N, was involved in an accident near Tucson, Arizona. 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
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 10, 1983 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Tucson, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Semco CHALLENGER
- Registration
- N8554N · registry record · serial SEM 78
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS OUTSIDE THE BASKET WHEN THE BALLOON TOOK OFF. HE GRABBED THE DEFLATION HANDLE AND THE BALLOON CARRIED HIM ALOFT. HE FELL FROM ABOUT 40 FT AGL ONTO HIS HEAD AND WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED. THE PILOT REPORTEDLY WAS GOING TO TETHER THE BALLOON. DURING INFLATION THE BURNER SLIPPED OUT OF ONE HOLDER & INFLATION WAS INTERRUPTED TO WORK ON THE BURNER WHEN THE IMPROPERLY SECURED BALLOON LIFTED OFF. DURING INVESTIGATION THE PLASTIC COATING ON THE DEFLATION LINE WAS FOUND TO BE SEPARATED WHERE IT GOES THROUGH THE 'D' RING ATTACHED TO HE ENVELOPE. THE DEFLATION LINE AND THE VENT LINE WERE FOUND TO BE TANGLED.
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: single-engine land; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 114 hours in all; 104 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 1,040 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 276 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 2, 1983; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 931 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: None N/A (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- 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.
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.