Aerostar S-60A accident near Clarkdale, Arizona, May 9, 1999
On May 9, 1999 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Aerostar S-60A (balloon), registered N3592Z, was involved in an accident near Clarkdale, Arizona. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 4 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain during a high wind condition. Contributing factors were the high winds and the tree.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 9, 1999 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Clarkdale, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 4 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerostar S-60A
- Registration
- N3592Z · no longer on the register · serial S60A-3104
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and four fare-paying passengers departed for a local sightseeing flight. The flight was uneventful. The passengers received safety briefings and wore helmets during the high wind landing, in an 8-knot wind. After touchdown, the pilot ripped out the balloon's top, but the basket was dragged about 10 feet before coming to rest in terrain which had vegetation over 1/2 of its surface. During the slide, a tree branch penetrated the basket through a passenger's step hole. The branch contacted a passenger's leg, which resulted in a serious injury.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: balloon; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,400 hours in all; 305 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 8,407 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 426 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 7, 1998; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Black Canyon AZ at 1:05 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from PRC, 23 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 3 |
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.