Piccard AX-6 accident near Arroyo Grande, California, January 1, 1983
On January 1, 1983 at about 5:25 pm local time, a Piccard AX-6 (balloon), registered N84US, was involved in an accident near Arroyo Grande, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. 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
- January 1, 1983 · about 5:25 pm local time
- Place
- Arroyo Grande, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piccard AX-6 · all AX-6s on the register
- Registration
- N84US · registry record · serial 684
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT HE EXPERIENCED A DOWNDRAFT WHEN HE WAS ON AN APCH TO LAND NEAR POWER LINES, AND WAS FORCED TO 'RIP OUT EARLY.' THE BALLOON LANDED LANDED RELATIVELY HARD, BUT WAS NOT DAMAGED. HOWEVER, THE PLT'S LEGS WERE CROSSED WHEN THE BALLOON TOUCHED DOWN & ONE LEG BROKE.
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: single-engine land; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 37 hours in all; 37 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 37 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 220 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 30, 1982; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 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 112° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.