Cameron Balloons Us N-145 accident near North Las Vegas, NV
On January 26, 2002, a Cameron Balloons Us N-145 (balloon) was involved in an accident near North Las Vegas, NV. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- January 26, 2002
- Place
- North Las Vegas, NV
- Aircraft
- Cameron Balloons Us N-145 · Balloon
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 2 serious, 4 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 36.316°N, 115.373°W
- NTSB ID
- 20020201X00160
Official records · LAX02FA069
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Report from FAA Inspector and Air Traffic Manager: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On January 26, 2002, about 0815 Pacific standard time, a Cameron Balloons US, model N-145, N8004J, made a hard landing in rough terrain about 13 nautical miles (nm) northwest of North Las Vegas, Nevada. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. Of the six passengers on board, two were seriously injured, and four sustained minor injuries. The balloon was substantially damaged. The balloon was owned and operated by the pilot, who was doing business as Ultimate Balloon Adventure, Las Vegas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The fare-paying passengers' sightseeing flight was performed under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated from a vacant lot in west central Las Vegas, about 0720. According to the pilot's two ground crewmembers, the pilot launched a pibal from the takeoff site. The pibal's drift indicated that the low altitude surface wind was nearly calm. Thereafter, the balloon's envelope was inflated without difficulty, the passengers boarded, and the flight commenced. The balloon drifted in a northwesterly direction. The pilot was in radio contact with his ground crew who were monitoring his progress. When the wind speed increased, the pilot notified a crewmember that he planned to land soon and in an unassisted manner; no nearby roads were in his vicinity. The balloon touched down two times on open terrain, but the pilot elected to continue flying. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) coordinator, a passenger in the balloon subsequently reported that the reason the pilot electe
Probable cause
The pilot's misjudged approach and inadequate obstacle clearance, which resulted in his failure to attain the proper touchdown point. Contributing factors were the high gusty wind condition, and the pilot's failure to provide protective safety equipment.
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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
