Balloon Works FIREFLY 11 N2585Z
11 October 1997 · Rancho Bernardo, California, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 11 October 1997 at about 01:22 local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 11 registered N2585Z was involved in an accident near Rancho Bernardo, California, United States. 11 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 7 had minor injuries. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 01:22
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Rancho Bernardo, California, United States
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 11
- Registration
- N2585Z
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Other Work Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Encinitas → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX98LA005
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 |
Probable cause
The pilot's intentional flight in high wind conditions and his improper in-flight planning.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot and 10 passengers departed for a scenic late afternoon flight. The takeoff occurred in wind conditions near the FAA demonstrated 7 knot maximum speed (for landing), and at a time when local airports reported 10 knot surface winds. For several minutes during the flight the pilot flew in clouds. The passengers reported hearing the sound of an airplane and became concerned. During the flight the wind speed increased. The pilot landed hard in over 12 knots of wind. The basket slid 150 to 180 feet, rotated 90 degrees, and tumbled end over end ejecting passengers.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Balloon Works FIREFLY accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Jul 1997 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Columbia, Missouri, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Aug 1997 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7B-15 | Columbia, Missouri, United States | Theron Riley | Serious injuries | - |
| 6 Oct 1997 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 8-24 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 30 May 1998 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7-15 | Waterloo, Iowa, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Aug 1998 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Freehold, New Jersey, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 5 Oct 1998 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B-15 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Aug 1997 | Airbus A300 B4-203 | Los Angeles, California, United States | Pan American World Airways, In | No injuries | - |
| 15 Aug 1997 | Bell UH-1H | Tahoe City, California, United States | Usda / Forest Service | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1997 | Cessna 152 | Julian, California, United States | Plus One Flyers, Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 11 Oct 1997 | Schweizer 2-32 | Warner Springs, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Oct 1997 | Bellanca 7ECA | Tracy, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 26 Oct 1997 | Extra Flugzeugbau EA-300 | Castaic, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |