No fatalities

Passenger Injured During Balloon Landing

Albuquerque, NM, United States

On October 10, 2012, an ARBC INC DBA LINDSTRAND 90A operated by James Ireland was involved in an aviation accident near Albuquerque, NM. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The passenger’s inadequate brace position for the balloon landing, which resulted in a serious injury. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

A balloon passenger was seriously injured during a landing after failing to assume proper brace position. The pilot had briefed for a hard landing. The balloon dragged 20 feet but was not damaged.

Accident Details

According to the pilot's statement, the balloon was conducting a local flight and was making an approach to land near a field. No further information about the balloon type, registration, operator, location, or date was provided.

Landing Sequence

When the balloon descended to about 15 feet above the ground, the pilot pulled out the top of the balloon and executed a landing without any bounce. After touchdown, the balloon dragged across the ground for approximately 20 feet before coming to rest.

Injuries

Prior to landing, the pilot had briefed the passengers for a possible hard landing. The pilot noticed that one passenger did not assume the proper brace position. That passenger sustained a serious injury during the landing. The balloon itself was not damaged.

Contributing factors

Passenger