Cameron Balloons Z-90 accident near Burlington, WI
On June 2, 2022, a Cameron Balloons Z-90 (balloon) was involved in an accident near Burlington, WI. 3 people were seriously injured. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- June 2, 2022
- Place
- Burlington, WI
- Aircraft
- Cameron Balloons Z-90 · Balloon
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 3 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 42.671°N, 88.268°W
- NTSB ID
- 20220602105172
Official records · CEN22LA221
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On June 1, 2022, about 2015 central daylight time, a Cameron Z-90 balloon, N65009, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Burlington, Wisconsin. The pilot and 2 passengers were seriously injured. The balloon was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 other work use flight. The pilot reported he had taken off with two passengers near the Burlington Municipal Airport (BUU) and drifted southeast. About an hour into the flight, the lake effect wind moved in and the pilot looked for a place to land. The pilot selected a road east of some railroad tracks and gave the passengers a landing briefing. The pilot noted their speed was 4 mph. The pilot also noticed a slow-moving train to his left but did not think it was a factor. The pilot remembered seeing the park east of the road and contacting the train. The pilot reported being knocked unconscious and that he did not recall anything else. The engineer on the Canadian National freight train reported that he saw the balloon descending and began to slow the train as he did not know where the balloon was going. He said that he saw the balloon approach the train in his side mirror, at which time he applied the emergency brakes. The balloon then landed in the grassy area between the railroad tracks and a street. As the balloon began to lose air and become limp it started to blow toward the rail cars. The balloon envelope caught on one of the cars, 15 cars back from the engine, and the balloon was pulled off the ground. The envelope then ripped away from the basket and ascended about 200 ft
Probable cause
The pilot’s selection of an inappropriate landing location and his failure to avoid an oncoming freight train, which resulted in the train colliding with and dragging the balloon.
More accidents in WI
- Douglas DC-9-14, Sep 6, 1985
- Beech 200, Nov 16, 1987
- Piper PA-28-140, Feb 3, 1991
- Piper PA-32R-300, Aug 19, 1990
- Cessna 421C, Jul 1, 2017
Browse: Wisconsin
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
