Aerostar International INC S-60A accident near Park City, Utah, September 6, 2011
On September 6, 2011 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Aerostar International INC S-60A (balloon), registered N7154E, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Park City, Utah. It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the balloon during the landing on uneven ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 6, 2011 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Park City, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerostar International INC S-60A · all S-60As on the register
- Registration
- N7154E · no longer on the register · serial S60A-3210
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, during the landing approach, she noted that the wind had changed direction and increased to about 5 knots. The pilot identified a suitable place to land, and, after clearing power lines, she made a steep approach. The balloon touched down on uneven ground and the basket tipped. The pilot was venting the balloon at the time and when the basket touched down, the vent line pulled her partially out of the basket. The basket dragged across the ground a few feet before becoming airborne again, and the pilot continued to hang onto the vent line. The two passengers then jumped out of the basket and the vent line was ripped out of the pilot’s hands. The balloon continued flight, unoccupied, and landed approximately 1/2 mile from the intended landing location. During the accident sequence, the balloon was torn and the skirt was burnt.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Loss of control in flight during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Sloped/uneven › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 215 hours in all; 215 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: Park City UT at 2:00 pm
- Destination: Park City UT
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 N7154E the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR11CA435.