Balloon Works AX-8B accident near Parker, Arizona, March 1, 1997
On March 1, 1997 at about 3:15 pm local time, a Balloon Works AX-8B, registered N9033H, was involved in an accident near Parker, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning, which resulted in an excessive descent and subsequent hard landing, due to a drop in fuel pressure along with shifting winds at low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 1, 1997 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Parker, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works AX-8B
- Registration
- N9033H · registry record · serial F8B-303
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After about 15 minutes on a 'Hare and Hound' flight, the pilot noticed a drop in fuel pressure (while flying at a low altitude). He switched fuel tanks, but the balloon had begun to descend. The pilot attempted to stop the descent by using a good tank, but the balloon continued to lose altitude and landed hard on flat terrain, before the descent could be stopped. The pilot and other pilots reported low level wind shear in the area at the time. No mechanical malfunction was reported.
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: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 98 hours in all; 98 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 64 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 376 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 7, 1996; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,660 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: P20
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.
Other NTSB records under N9033H 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.