Balloon Works FIREFLY 7-B N15260
5 October 1987 · Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 5 October 1987 at about 14:30 local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 7-B registered N15260, operated by Janet L. Hodges, was involved in an accident near Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 14:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 7-B
- Registration
- N15260
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Janet L. Hodges
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DEN88LA004
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
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
THE PLT RPTD THAT SHE HAD VENTED THE BALLOON TO LAND. SHE SAID IT TAKES BOTH OF HER HANDS TO OPEN THE VENT AND HOLD IT OPEN. 'WHEN THE BALLOON HIT THE GROUND THE BURNER WENT ON BY ITSELF, WIDE OPEN. THE ENVELOPE WAS SWINGING FROM THE CONTACT OF THE BASKET WITH THE GROUND AND WAS IN THE PATH OF THE BURNER ALMOST INSTANTLY.' THE ENVELOPE WAS DAMAGED BY THE FIRE BUT THERE WERE NO INJURIES. AN FAA AIRWORTHINESS INSP EXAMINED THE BURNER AFTER THE ACCD. HE REPORTED THAT 'BEFORE TEARDOWN THE BURNER ASSY WAS INSTALLED ON THE GONDOLA AND OPERATIONALLY TESTED. THE VALVE WAS OPERATED NORMALLY APPROX 10 ON/OFF CYCLES. THE VALVE WAS PRESSURE TESTED AND NO LEAKS WERE NOTED. THE BLAST VALVE WAS THEN REMOVED FROM THE BURNER ASSY AND DISASSEMBLED. THE DIMENSION BETWEEN THE ACTUATING LEVER AND THE BONNET WAS APPROX .006 INSTEAD OF THE REQ MIN OF .010. THIS WAS DUE TO AN EXTRA TEFLON WASHER INSTALLED BETWEEN THE LEVER AND BONNET, HOWEVER, THE OPERATION OF THE VALVE WAS NOT AFFECTED.' NO OTHER DISCREPENCIES WERE NOTED.
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 | 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 | - |
| 5 Apr 1987 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 8-24 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Oct 1987 | Rockwell 690B | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1987 | Aerostar S-66A | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Alpine Adventures | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 Oct 1987 | Piper PA-28-140 | Lordsburg, New Mexico, United States | William Coker | No injuries | - |
| 25 Oct 1987 | Piper PA-24-260C | Timberon, New Mexico, United States | Blesius, Cornelius | Serious injuries | - |
| 9 Nov 1987 | Cessna 182N | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | KAY M. Browning | No injuries | - |
| 19 Nov 1987 | Bell 206B III | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Aero West Management Services | Minor injuries | - |