Amateur-built AA-4 accident near Salome, Arizona, November 14, 1983
On November 14, 1983 at about 9:20 pm local time, a amateur-built AA-4 (balloon), registered N27676, was involved in an accident near Salome, 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
- November 14, 1983 · about 9:20 pm local time
- Place
- Salome, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AA-4
- Registration
- N27676 · registry record · serial 001
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT OF THE BALLOON WAS MAKING A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING DUE TO HIS PROXIMITY TO THE MEXICAN BORDER. TO AVOID HIGH TENSION WIRES, THE PLT 'RIPPED OUT' AT A HIGHER THAN NORMAL ALTITUDE RESULTING IN A HARD LANDING. THE PLT RECEIVED A FRACTURED SKULL WHEN HE STRUCK HIS HEAD AGAINST AN OXYGEN BOTTLE DURING THE LANDING.
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: 1,309 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 34 in the last 90 days; 1,389 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 7 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Las Vegas NV at 7:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 315° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.