Arbc INC DBA Lindstrand 120A accident near Grants Pass, Oregon, June 18, 2010
On June 18, 2010 at about 3:20 pm local time, a Arbc INC DBA Lindstrand 120A (balloon), registered N501LB, was involved in an accident near Grants Pass, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The balloon ground crew member's decision to not release his hold on the basket of an ascending hot air balloon basket as it lifted off of the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 18, 2010 · about 3:20 pm local time
- Place
- Grants Pass, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Arbc INC DBA Lindstrand 120A · all 120As on the register
- Registration
- N501LB · registry record · serial 5426
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the post-landing, pre-deflation portion of a hot air balloon flight, the basket of the balloon began to lift off the ground when one of the individuals holding it released their grip on the top rim of the basket. At that point, the remaining three individuals holding the basket released their grip on the top rim of the basket and the balloon began to ascend. As the basket lifted higher into the air, one of the individuals who had released their grip on the basket top rim grabbed onto the rope handles near the base of the basket and was therefore lifted about 20 feet into the air. As soon as the pilot realized that someone was hanging from the bottom of the basket, he began venting air from the top of the balloon in order to get the basket back on the ground. But the individual hanging from the rope handles lost his grip and fell to grassy terrain below. The injured person had extensive experience acting as a balloon ground crew member and as a passenger in a balloon. He had no memory of the event, and it could not be determined why he grabbed onto the rope handles after releasing his grip from the basket rim.
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
What happened, in order
- Miscellaneous/other defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action selection › Ground crew
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 3,245 hours in all; 71 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 3,245 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 20, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 71 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 6, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 2,640 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: Grants Pass OR at 1:45 pm
- Destination: Grants Pass OR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,900 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.
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.