Thunder And Colt TC-180 accident near Peoria, Arizona, November 15, 1994
On November 15, 1994 at about 3:05 pm local time, a Thunder And Colt TC-180 (balloon), registered N738TC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Peoria, Arizona. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 7 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the flight's encounter with unforecasted high winds which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 15, 1994 · about 3:05 pm local time
- Place
- Peoria, Arizona
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 7 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Thunder And Colt TC-180
- Registration
- N738TC · no longer on the register · serial 2292
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT OBTAINED A WX BRIEFING BEFORE DEPARTING ON THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT. THE FORECASTED SURFACE WINDS WERE LESS THAN 10 KNOTS. THE SIGHTSEEING BALLOON FLIGHT ENCOUNTERED HIGH SURFACE WINDS WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT. THE PILOT ELECTED TO EXECUTE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING IN AN OPEN AREA AND BRIEFED HIS PASSENGERS ON A HIGH WIND LANDING. ON THE INITIAL TOUCHDOWN, THE BALLOON BOUNCED. ON THE SECOND TOUCHDOWN, ABOUT 20 YARDS FROM THE INITIAL TOUCHDOWN POINT, THE WINDS DRAGGED THE BALLOON ABOUT 100 YARDS BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. ONE PASSENGER SUSTAINED A FRACTURED HIP. THE PILOT AND THE REMAINING SIX PASSENGERS WERE NOT INJURED. AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, CALM WINDS PREVAILED AT PHOENIX SKY HARBOR AIRPORT WHICH IS 25 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE ACCIDENT SITE. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE WINDS WERE FROM THE NORTH AT 15 KNOTS.
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: 1,106 hours in all; 126 in this make and model; 64 in the last 90 days; 31 in the last 30 days; 1,073 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 183 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 20, 1994; 88 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,238 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Phoenix AZ at 2:05 pm
- Destination: AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 28.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from PHX, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 6 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N738TC the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.