Aerostar S-77A accident near Davis, CA
On July 3, 1995, an Aerostar S-77A (balloon) was involved in an accident near Davis, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: minor.
- Date
- July 3, 1995
- Place
- Davis, CA
- Aircraft
- Aerostar S-77A · Balloon
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Minor
- Position
- 38.550°N, 121.799°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001207X03991
Official records · LAX95LA237
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On July 3, 1995, at 0845 Pacific daylight time, an Aerostar Raven S-77A, N6317U, landed hard near Davis, California. One passenger sustained fatal injuries and two others incurred minor injuries; the commercial pilot and the remaining six passengers were not injured. The balloon sustained minor damage. The balloon was owned and operated by Balloons Above the Valley and was on a commercial sightseeing flight under 14 CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. The flight originated from the Yolo County airport, Yolo, California, at 0715 on the day of the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The pilot told responding fire department officials that she was making a planned landing approach when "the balloon came in a little fast and hit the ground. When it did, some of the passengers bounced out." Rescue personnel reported weather at the accident scene was fine and the winds were blowing between 10 and 15 mph at the time. According to a review of Federal Aviation Administration records, there was no record of the pilot obtaining a preflight weather briefing. The pilot reported that "the weather briefing was obtained." The operator produced a weather briefing form that showed the weather briefing was obtained under registration N2559V. The weather briefing form is appended to this report. The pilot stated that she took off after briefing the passengers on safety procedures for landing, particularly under "windy" conditions. The briefing included instructions to hold on with both hands, not to get out of the basket until instructed
Probable cause
the pilot's misjudgement of the balloon's excessive rate-of-descent in a high wind landing and her inadequate remedial action to correct the condition.
More accidents in CA
- Douglas MD-83, Feb 1, 2000
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-32, Aug 31, 1986
- British Aerospace BAE-146-200, Dec 8, 1987
- Beech C-99, Aug 24, 1984
- Sikorsky S-61N, Aug 6, 2008
Browse: California · Aerostar aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
