Balloon Works FIREFLY-7 N36609
8 October 1998 · Alberquerque, New Mexico, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 8 October 1998 at about 16:00 local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY-7 registered N36609 was involved in an accident near Alberquerque, New Mexico, United States. 3 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 16:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Alberquerque, New Mexico, United States
- Coordinates
- 35.0601, -106.6210
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY-7
- Registration
- N36609
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Fiesta Park → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DEN99LA006
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The passenger's failure to follow procedures/directives for a hard landing. A factor was the congested/confined landing area with power lines on both ends.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
According to the pilot, he was preparing to land in a small field with power lines upwind and downwind. He had instructed the passengers, the pilot's mother and a balloon ground crew member, how to brace themselves for a 'cold fast landing.' The pilot stated, upon landing, that as soon as they contacted the ground, he heard one of his passengers 'scream in pain.' Attempting to stop the balloon with the top pulled out, the balloon swung forward 6-8 ft. where it touched down a second time. After deflation of the balloon, he and one of his passengers exited the balloon, the other passenger was unable to exit due to two broken legs.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Balloon Works FIREFLY accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | - |
| 17 May 1998 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7-B | Longmont, Colorado, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 15 Aug 1998 | Balloon Works FIREFLY AX-9 | Brookhaven, New York, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 27 Mar 1998 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B-15 | Elk Garden, Virginia, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Jun 1998 | Lockheed SP-2H | Reserve, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 19 Jan 1998 | Martin VARIEZE | Artesia, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 24 Jan 1998 | Piper PA-32RT-300 | Taos, New Mexico, United States | Flight Training Center | No injuries | - |
| 2 Sep 1998 | Air Tractor AT-502B | Portales, New Mexico, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 6 Sep 1998 | Jobe's TE-1 | Alamogordo, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 1998 | Beechcraft 58 | Taos, New Mexico, United States | Ican Enterprises, Inc. | No injuries | - |