No fatalities

CAMERON BALLOONS U S A-315 6979 accident at Albuquerque, NM, 14 Oct 2023

Albuquerque, NM, United States

On October 14, 2023, a CAMERON BALLOONS U S A-315 6979 operated by Rainbow Ryders Hot Air Balloon Co. was involved in an aviation accident near Albuquerque, NM. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s inability to maintain control of the balloon during landing due to unforecasted windshear and turbulent air. 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

Probable cause

The pilot’s inability to maintain control of the balloon during landing due to unforecasted windshear and turbulent air.

— NTSB Determination

Contributing factors

Effect on equipmentContributed to outcome