Aerostar International RX 7

Full Narrative

The balloon pilot reported that, during an air race, she identified a landing area with dirt roads. She had a gradual descent to land, but as the balloon neared the surface, the winds were "in the 20+ mile per hour range." The balloon landed hard and bounced. She instructed the passenger to get lower in the basket, regained control, and attempted another landing. During the second landing, she "pulled the red line to let the hot air out of the envelope but was dragged across the ground" and the pilot was ejected from the basket; the passenger remained in the balloon. A crew member on the ground instructed the passenger to pull the red line again. The balloon landed hard, the passenger was ejected, and the basket was destroyed in a postaccident fire.

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

The pilot added as a safety recommendation to conduct an additional preflight briefing for the passenger.

The automated weather observation station, located 6 miles to the south, reported that, about 31 minutes before the accident, the wind was variable at 3 knots.