Ultramagic SA Z-90 accident near Del Mar, California, May 4, 2024
On May 4, 2024 at about 1:30 am local time, a Ultramagic SA Z-90 (balloon), registered N290UM, was involved in an accident during enroute near Del Mar, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The passenger’s intentional departure from the balloon in flight as an act of suicide.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 4, 2024 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Del Mar, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ultramagic SA Z-90
- Registration
- N290UM · registry record · serial 90/209
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was reported to be a celebration of life sunset flight with one passenger. Shortly after takeoff, about 1,300 ft mean sea level, the passenger asked the pilot for privacy for ceremonial reasons, and the pilot turned his back. About 20 to 30 seconds later, the pilot felt a shift in the basket and realized that the passenger had jumped from the balloon. The pilot stated he observed the passenger descending toward the ground. A postmortem report issued by the medical examiner listed the passenger’s cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries, and the manner of death as suspected suicide.
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
- Security/criminal event during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Miscellaneous › Intentional act › Suicide › Passenger
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 3,797.3 hours in all; 78 in the last 90 days; 34 in the last 30 days; 3,582.8 as pilot in command; 192.6 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 8, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: none
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 141.8 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 27, 2023
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: N/A Del Mar CA at 1:15 am
- Destination: N/A San Diego CA
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 6:00 pm from KNKX, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on May 13, 2026. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 and Pilot Statement | PDF, 12 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 2 | Medical Examiner Mfr | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
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.