Balloon Works FIREFLY 7B-15 N242MS

Summary

On 27 August 2002 at about 00:40 local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 7B-15 registered N242MS, operated by Flying High Balloon Services, was involved in an accident near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 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.

Date

27 August 2002 at 00:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States

Coordinates

35.3922, -97.6006

Aircraft

Balloon Works FIREFLY 7B-15

Registration

N242MS

Category

Balloon

Operator

Flying High Balloon Services

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Edmond → Oklahoma City

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW02LA240

1 person was seriously injured.

the pilot's inadvertent flight into adverse weather conditions resulting in a hard landing. A contributing factor was the high wind.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Prior to the balloon flight, the pilot checked the weather conditions from several weather reporting sources and determined that the conditions were suitable for flight. Approximately 20 minutes into the flight, the pilot noticed that the surface winds appeared to be increasing. The pilot briefed the passengers on high wind landing procedures and "executed a textbook high wind landing." After the balloon came to rest, the pilot and passengers exited the balloon basket; however, one of the passengers mentioned that her ankle was sore. It was determined by medical personnel that the passenger sustained a broken ankle.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.