Balloon Works FIREFLY 8 N9023Z
7 August 1990 · Napa, California, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 7 August 1990 at about 14:46 local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 8 registered N9023Z was involved in an accident near Napa, California, United States. 7 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 14:46
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Napa, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 38.5491, -122.1506
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 8
- Registration
- N9023Z
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX90LA279
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
Probable cause
THE FLIGHT'S ENCOUNTER WITH A PROBABLE MICROBURST WEATHER PHENOMENA WITH DOWN DRAFTS AND WINDS BEYOND THE PERFORMANCE CAPABILITY OF THE BALLOON.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
SEVENTEEN BALLOONS LAUNCHED FROM VARIOUS LOCATIONS AROUND THE NAPA VALLEY FOR LOCAL SIGHTSEEING FLIGHTS. STATEMENTS FROM PILOTS, PASSENGERS AND GROUND WITNESSES SAID THAT WHILE THE BALLOONS WERE IN NORMAL DRIFTING FLIGHT A MICROBURST LIKE CONDITION SUDDENLY OCCURRED WHICH AFFECTED ALL OF THE BALLOONS. THE WEATHER PHENOMONA ENCOUNTERED INCLUDED STRONG GUSTING SURFACE AND ALOFT WINDS IN ADDITION TO SEVERE DOWN DRAFTS. THE BALLOONS WERE RAPIDLY FORCED TOWARD THE GROUND AS THEIR GROUND SPEED INCREASED RADICALLY. THE PILOTS OF SEVERAL BALLOONS REPORTED THAT THE SHAPES OF THEIR BALLOON ENVELOPES WERE SEVERELY DISTORTED BY THE SUDDEN MOVEMENT OF THE AIRMASS. EIGHT OF THE 17 BALLOONS ATTEMPTED FORCED LANDINGS. FOUR OF THE BALLOONS SUCCESSFULLY LANDED. THE OTHER FOUR BALLOONS COLLIDED WITH OBSTRUCTIONS AND THE GROUND DURING THE ATTEMPTED LANDINGS. AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, A LARGE THUNDERSTORM WAS REPORTED 30 MILES TO THE NORTH.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Balloon Works FIREFLY accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Nov 1990 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 8-24 | Poway, California, United States | Kimberly Lynch | Serious injuries | - |
| 7 Aug 1990 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 9 | Napa, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 29 Sep 1990 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 9 | Vacaville, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 Jun 1990 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7B | Moorpark, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 19 Nov 1989 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Richard K. Tanner | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 Jun 1991 | Balloon Works FIREFLY-7B | Greenwood, Missouri, United States | Karmen W. Goosey | Fatal | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Apr 1990 | Cessna 180 | Soledad, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Oct 1990 | Cessna 150 | Riverside, California, United States | PAR Flight | No injuries | - |
| 17 Apr 1990 | Piper PA46 | Paso Robles, California, United States | Piper Aircraft Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 7 Oct 1990 | Cessna 182M | Bakersfield, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Apr 1990 | Piper J-3 | Creston, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1990 | Bell 47G4 | Merced, California, United States | John W. Myers | Serious injuries | - |