Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B-15 N2563W
9 October 2004 · Piedmont, Oklahoma, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 9 October 2004 at about 14:20 local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B-15 registered N2563W was involved in an accident near Piedmont, Oklahoma, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 14:20
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Piedmont, Oklahoma, United States
- Coordinates
- 35.5339, -97.6469
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B-15
- Registration
- N2563W
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Piedmont → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DFW05CA002
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with power lines while landing. Contributing factors were the reduced visibility, fog, and low cloud ceiling.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The 79-hour lighter-than-air private pilot elected to land the balloon after encountering adverse weather condition about 15 minutes after departure. While landing on an open field with a downhill slope, the balloon was drifted towards a set of power lines. The pilot elected to initiate an emergency envelope deflation to avoid getting too close to the powerlines. After touchdown, the envelope of the balloon came in contact with the power lines. The pilot added that adverse weather consisted of visibilities of less than a mile, lowering ceilings and fog.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Balloon Works FIREFLY accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Feb 2004 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 11 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Hot Air Expeditions | Minor injuries | - |
| 28 Sep 2003 | Balloon Works FIREFLY II | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Get Carried Away Hot Air Balloon Company | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 May 2002 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7B-15 | Port Allen, Louisiana, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 27 Aug 2002 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7B-15 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States | Flying High Balloon Services | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Jun 2001 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B-15 | Celina, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 Jan 2007 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 9B-15 | Peoria, Arizona, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Jun 2004 | Bell 206B | Cushing, Oklahoma, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 9 Dec 2004 | Beechcraft B200 | Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States | RNH Air 1 LLC | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 Jun 2004 | Stinson 108-3 | Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 Dec 2004 | Crosley CHRISTEN EAGLE II | Morris, Oklahoma, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 28 Oct 2004 | Huber DR 107 | Fletcher, Oklahoma, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 26 May 2004 | Beechcraft BE-58P | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States | Thomas McCasland | Minor injuries | - |