Balloon Works FIREFLY 8 N9084D
5 June 1994 · Acton, California, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 5 June 1994 at about 16:30 local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 8 registered N9084D was involved in an accident near Acton, California, United States. 4 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 3 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 16:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Acton, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 34.4900, -118.2193
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 8
- Registration
- N9084D
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Canyon Country → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX94LA244
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
Probable cause
the pilot's improper in-flight planning and his misjudging the wind speed information. Contributing factors were the gusty winds and the lack of suitable terrain.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT LAUNCHED SEVERAL PIBALS TO EVALUATE THE WIND DIRECTION AND SPEED PRIOR TO HIS INITIAL FLIGHT OF THE MORNING. HE THEN TOOK OFF WITH THE FIRST OF SEVERAL GROUPS OF PASSENGERS AND FLEW WITH THEM UNEVENTFULLY FOR ABOUT 1/2 HOUR. THE ACCIDENT PASSENGERS BOARDED THE BALLOON NEXT, AND THEIR INITIAL 1/2-HOUR-LONG FLIGHT WAS UNEVENTFUL. THEY LANDED, SEVERAL PASSENGERS EXITED THE BALLOON, ONE NEW PASSENGER CLIMBED IN, AND THEY TOOK OFF. DURING THIS FLIGHT, THE PILOT REPORTED OBSERVING THE WIND SPEED INCREASE AND RUNNING LOW ON FUEL. BY THE TIME THE PILOT COMMENCED LANDING EFFORTS, AVAILABLE SITES WERE LIMITED. SEVERAL INITIAL ATTEMPTS WERE ABORTED. FINALLY, WITH ONE FUEL TANK EMPTY AND THE SECOND TANK DOWN TO 25 PERCENT, AND WITH THE WIND SPEED INCREASING, THE PILOT RECOGNIZED THAT HE WAS RUNNING OUT OF OPTIONS. HE ELECTED TO LAND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THE PILOT LANDED THE BALLOON HARD, ON ROUGH TERRAIN, AND IN GUSTY WIND CONDITIONS. THE BALLOON TOUCHED DOWN SHORT OF THE PLANNED SITE AND IMPACTED THE SIDE OF A RAVINE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Balloon Works FIREFLY accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 May 1994 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7-B | Burlington, North Carolina, United States | Carter, William A. | No injuries | - |
| 29 Oct 1994 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Nashua, New Hampshire, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Aug 1994 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 8-24 | Sedona, Arizona, United States | Red Rock Balloon Adventures | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 Jul 1995 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Littleton, Colorado, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 Jun 1993 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Salida, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 2 Sep 1995 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Colorado Spgs, Colorado, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Sep 1994 | Piper PA-28R-201 | Fort Bragg, California, United States | Sundance Flying Club | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 May 1994 | Schweizer G-164B | Yuba City, California, United States | Sutter Butte Dusters, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 3 Sep 1994 | Cessna T210L | Kettleman City, California, United States | Willie Alves Rodrigues | No injuries | - |
| 13 May 1994 | Maule M-5-235C | Columbia, California, United States | White, James L. | No injuries | - |
| 19 May 1994 | Cessna 150L | Rio Linda, California, United States | Hinckley, Thomas, F. | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Sep 1994 | Robinson R-22 | Chico, California, United States | Sierra Aviation | No injuries | - |