Balloon Works FIREFLY 8-24 N3750D
5 April 1987 · Phoenix, Arizona, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 5 April 1987 at about 14:40 local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 8-24 registered N3750D was involved in an accident near Phoenix, Arizona, United States. 7 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 2 had minor injuries. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 14:40
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Phoenix, Arizona, United States
- Coordinates
- 33.4296, -113.0500
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 8-24
- Registration
- N3750D
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Phoenix → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX87LA168
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
DURING A PLEASURE BALLOON RIDE, THE BALLOON LIFTED OFF IN A SOUTHERLY DIRECTION THEN SHIFTED TO A SOUTH EASTERLY DIRECTION. THE PLT FELT THAT THE BALLOONS RESPONSE TIME FOR ADEQUATE LIFT TOOK TOO LONG. THE BALLOON BEGAN DRIFTING TOWARD 50 TO 60 FT POWER LINES. THE PLT DECIDED AT APRX 50 FT AGL TO LAND THE BALLOON. THE PILOT PULLED THE TOP OUT OF THE BALLOON WHICH DESCENDED RAPIDLY COLLIDING WITH THE TERRAIN. THE BALLOON CAME TO REST APRX 100 FT FROM THE POWER LINES.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Balloon Works FIREFLY accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Mar 1987 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7-B | Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Oct 1987 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7-B | Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States | Janet L. Hodges | No injuries | - |
| 5 Oct 1987 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Feb 1987 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Colo. Springs, Colorado, United States | Arthur J. Walsh | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 Jul 1987 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Springfield, Michigan, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 26 Mar 1987 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Park City, Utah, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Jan 1987 | Cessna 182F | Wickenburg, Arizona, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 4 Jan 1987 | Bellanca 8KCAB | Tucson, Arizona, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 10 Jan 1987 | Swearingen SA227-AC | Yuma, Arizona, United States | Sky West Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 28 Jan 1987 | Cessna 152 | Mesa, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 Jan 1987 | Schweizer SGS 2-33 | Marana, Arizona, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 4 Feb 1987 | Cessna 172N | Yuma, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |