Balloon Works FIREFLY-7 N9070T
23 May 1999 · Gasburg, Virginia, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 23 May 1999 at about 12:10 local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY-7 registered N9070T was involved in an accident near Gasburg, Virginia, 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 12:10
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Gasburg, Virginia, United States
- Coordinates
- 36.5600, -77.8902
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY-7
- Registration
- N9070T
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Lake Gaston Res → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC99LA118
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The unforecast high winds that required the pilot in command to make a precautionary landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The hot air balloon launched under light wind conditions. As the balloon was approaching the first steerage, at about 50 feet above the ground, the pilot had to climb the balloon to 300 feet to complete the turn. During the climb, a windshear flattened out one side of the balloon, re-inflating a moment later, violently shaking the entire aircraft. The pilot decided to abort the flight. A hay field was spotted about 4 miles ahead of the balloon. As the balloon neared the ground, the winds continued to blow, and the basket collided with a hay bail, at a speed of about 15 knots. After impacting the hay bail, the basket touched down, dragged along the ground, and rolled over. The balloon then collapsed completely to the ground.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Balloon Works FIREFLY accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Aug 1999 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 11 | Cave Creek, Arizona, United States | HOT Air Expeditions, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 11 Aug 1999 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 9 | Hartsel, Colorado, United States | - | No 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 | - |
| 8 Oct 1998 | Balloon Works FIREFLY-7 | Alberquerque, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Sep 1999 | Piper PA-22-108 | Manassas, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jan 1999 | Piper PA-60-602P | Lynchburg, Virginia, United States | Herbert Frazier II | Serious injuries | - |
| 18 Dec 1999 | Beechcraft BE-23 | Blacksburg, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Dec 1999 | Prudhomme VELOCITY RG 173 | Richmond, Virginia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Nov 1999 | Coughlin LONG-EZ | Remington, Virginia, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 29 Dec 1999 | Beechcraft C-23 | Manassas, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |