Aerostar International INC RX 8 accident near Page, Arizona, November 4, 2023
On November 4, 2023 at about 3:50 pm local time, a 2003 Aerostar International INC RX 8 (balloon), registered N50466, was involved in an accident during landing near Page, Arizona (Page Muni airport). 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A hard landing after both burner pilot lights extinguished during the landing approach for undetermined reasons. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inability to relight the burner pilot lights.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 4, 2023 · about 3:50 pm local time
- Place
- Page, Arizona · Page Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerostar International INC RX 8, built 2003 · all RX 8s on the register
- Registration
- N50466 · registry record · serial RX8-3372
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the balloon reported that while selecting an alternate landing area, both burners failed to ignite. The pilot unsuccessfully attempted to restart both burners with the piezo igniters. The pilot then took out a butane lighter to manually relight a pilot light, but he still could not relight it in time to arrest the balloon’s descent. The pilot informed the passengers that they were going to hit the ground hard. The basket hit a parked car, tilted downward momentarily, and then bounced off the road. After the basket contacted the ground and climbed 6 to 10 feet above ground level, one of the passengers fell out of the balloon and sustained a serious injury. With one fewer passenger, the balloon began to ascend. During that time, the pilot found one of the blast valves operative. No further malfunctions were observed for the duration of the flight. A functional test and burner examination was completed with no defects noted that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Unknown or undetermined during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent rate › Attain/maintain not possible
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › (general) › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Power plant › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 890 hours in all; 890 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 870 as pilot in command; 20 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 25, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: none
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: none
- Injury: serious injuries
Passenger
- Seat: none
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 298.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 17, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Aerostar Zone 5 Turbo Burners RX-8 - 3372 (none); 298 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Page City Park AZ at 1:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.30 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 am from KPGA, 2 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KPGA 041553Z AUTO 25003KT 10SM CLR 12/M09 A3030
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 WPR24LA029.