Semco CHALLENGER accident near Miami, Florida, October 29, 1994
On October 29, 1994 at about 12:00 pm local time, a Semco CHALLENGER (balloon), registered N2048J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Miami, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the basket suspension cables due to corrosion and overstress separations. Contributing to the accident was an inadequate annual inspection of the basket suspension cables by an authorized FAA repairman.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 29, 1994 · about 12:00 pm local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Semco CHALLENGER
- Registration
- N2048J · registry record · serial SEM-179
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot experienced a failure of the basket suspension cables while tethering at about a 75 feet in an open field. Review of the balloon logbooks revealed the last annual inspection was recorded as logged 48 days before the accident. The repairman who performed the annual inspection stated he visually inspected the suspension cables. Examination of the suspension cables by the NTSB Materials Laboratory revealed the cables failed due to corrosion and overstress separations.
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: 29 hours in all; 29 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 132 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 12, 1994; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 320 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE FL at 11:59 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:00 pm from TMB, 7 miles away
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.