CUSTER, SD, USA
N9174Z
Aerostar S-81A
A passenger fractured her leg while exiting the balloon. The passenger reported, "The basket bounced 3 or 4 times hard - one bounce approx 5'. The pilot ordered people to get out - one at a time. Passengers and ground crew were trying to hold the basket down. Everybody got off except me. Then a gust of wind took the balloon and tilted it over and I got out. It was at that point it broke my leg." The pilot reported that the passenger fractured her leg when she tripped after having exited the basket. He reported that after all the passengers were out of the basket, a small gust of wind carried the balloon about 100 feet into some power lines where it received several small holes.
On September 12, 2000, at 0815 mountain daylight time, N9174Z, an Aerostar S-81A hot air balloon, received minor damage during a landing in Custer, South Dakota. One passenger received a fractured leg while exiting the basket. The pilot and 10 other passengers were not injured. The 14 CFR Part 91 business flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions. The flight originated in Custer, South Dakota, at 0715 mountain daylight time. The pilot reported that at the conclusion of the flight, 10 of the 11 passengers on board exited the basket. He reported that the 11th passenger tripped and cracked one of her leg bones after she exited the balloon. The pilot reported that after all the passengers were out of the basket, a small gust of wind carried the balloon about 100 feet into some power lines where it received several small holes. The injured passenger reported that during the landing, "The basket bounced 3 or 4 times hard - one bounce approx 5'. The pilot ordered people to get out - one at a time. Passengers and ground crew were trying to hold the basket down. Everybody got off except me. Then a gust of wind took the balloon and tilted it over and I got out. It was at that point it broke my leg."
The ground crew's failure to maintain control of the balloon until all passengers were disembarked. A factor related to the accident was the gust of wind.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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