Thunder And Colt 240A accident near Woody Creek, CO
On August 8, 1993, a Thunder And Colt 240A (balloon) was involved in an accident near Woody Creek, CO. 4 people were seriously injured. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- August 8, 1993
- Place
- Woody Creek, CO
- Aircraft
- Thunder And Colt 240A · Balloon
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 4 serious, 7 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 39.280°N, 106.899°W
- NTSB ID
- 20010110X00278
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 8, 1993, at 0800 mountain daylight time, a Thunder & Colt 240A balloon, N748TC, sustained substantial damage during a hard landing in a field near Woody Creek, Colorado. The commercial pilot and three passengers received serious injuries, and seven passengers received minor injuries. The balloon was operating under 14 CFR Part 91, as a local sight seeing flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed from Snowmass Village, Colorado, at approximately 0630. The balloon, along with several other balloons, drifted in a westerly direction down the Aspen valley, to a point approximately five miles from the Aspen airport. According to the pilot, the wind changed rapidly in both direction and velocity to a westerly wind of about 30 knots, and the balloons drifted back towards the town of Aspen, Colorado, in an easterly direction. The pilot said that while attempting to land, the balloon struck a fence which caused her to be thrown from the basket. The deflation panel had been pulled and the balloon landed hard in an open field. Witnesses said the balloon skidded across the field after initial touch down and skid marks extended across the field for approximately 250 feet. Witnesses and the passengers on the balloon reported that the wind shifted from an easterly wind to a wind from the west accompanied by a squall line. According to these persons, the wind speed appeared to be between 20 and 30 miles per hour (mph). PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot received her commercial balloon rating through Unicorn,
Probable cause
AN INFLIGHT ENCOUNTER WITH HIGH WINDS WHICH REQUIRED A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING.
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Browse: Colorado
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
