COLORADO SPGS, CO, USA
N90555
BALLOON WORKS FIREFLY 7
DURING THE FINAL STAGE OF LANDING, THE BALLOON ENCOUNTERED A WIND SHIFT AND THE LANDING WAS HARD. THE BASKET REMAINED UPRIGHT, BUT FOLLOWING THE LANDING THE PASSENGER INFORMED THE PILOT HE HAD BROKEN HIS ANKLE. THE BALLOON WAS NOT DAMAGED.
On September 2, 1995, at 0730 mountain daylight time, a Balloon Works Firefly 7, N90555, made a high wind landing near Colorado Springs, Colorado. The private pilot was not injured and her passenger received serious injuries. The balloon was not damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for this 14 CFR Part 91 local area passenger flight and no flight plan was filed. According to the pilot, a hard landing was conducted with the winds variable at 7 to 12 knots. Following the landing, during which the basket remained upright, the passenger told the pilot that he thought he had broken his ankle. The pilot stated she thought they had encountered a low level wind shear. However, the investigation provided no evidence that microburst/windshear conditions were present in the area during the time period when the accident occurred.
AN ENCOUNTER WITH A WIND SHIFT DURING LANDING.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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