Piccard AX6 accident near Pilot Hill, California, September 2, 1985
On September 2, 1985 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Piccard AX6 (balloon), registered N2484Z, was involved in an accident near Pilot Hill, California. 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 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 2, 1985 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pilot Hill, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 3 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piccard AX6 · all AX6s on the register
- Registration
- N2484Z · no longer on the register · serial 486
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING INFLATION OF THE BALLOON PRIOR TO FLT, THE PLT SAID HE NOTICED A 5 KT GUST OF WIND. PLT THEN SENT A SMALL BALLOON ALOFT TO TEST THE WIND AND SAID IT 'SHOWED A SLOWING OF THE WIND' AT 60 TO 80 FT AGL & ACCEPTABLE FLT CONDITIONS. AFTER LAUNCH THE WIND SHIFTED & BEGAN MOVING THE BALLOON TOWARD A HEAVILY FORESTED AREA DEVOID OF SAFE LANDING SITES. THE PLT ELECTED TO LAND IN A CLEARING WHEN IT BECAME EVIDENT THAT THE FLT PATH WOULD NOT CHANGE. THE PLT SAID HE ACTIVATED THE TEAR-OUT PANEL ABOUT 10 FT AGL & THE BALLOON BOUNCED, PARTIALLY EJECTING A PASSENGER. THE EJECTED PASSENGER WAS RESTRAINED BY ANOTHER PASSENGER & SUBSEQUENTLY DRAGGED ALONG THE GROUND WITH THE BALLOON BASKET. THE EJECTED PASSENGER SUSTAINED A FRACTURED RIB.
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: 234 hours in all; 234 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 224 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 2, 1984; 64 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,210 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 360° at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.