Balloon Works FIREFLY 8 N3181A

Summary

On 17 September 2011 at about 00:30 local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 8 registered N3181A, operated by Diamondjake Ballooning DBA, was involved in an accident near Mingo, Iowa, 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

17 September 2011 at 00:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Mingo, Iowa, United States

Coordinates

41.7669, -93.2836

Aircraft

Balloon Works FIREFLY 8

Registration

N3181A

Category

Balloon

Operator

Diamondjake Ballooning DBA

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Newton → Mingo

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

CEN11CA654

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the balloon’s descent during the landing, which resulted in the balloon having a hard landing in a ditch and causing a passenger to be seriously injured.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a balloon flight, the pilot advised the two passengers to face in the direction of travel and to bend their knees when they land. The pilot also indicated to the passengers that momentum would propel the basket occupants forward during the landing. The wind at the time of landing reportedly gave the balloon a 9 mph groundspeed. The pilot executed a touchdown into a ditch alongside a highway after making a landing approach over a soybean field. The basket subsequently laid over on its side. One passenger sustained a serious ankle injury during the hard landing. The pilot and the other passenger were not injured and the balloon was not damaged. According to the pilot, the injured passenger indicated that her knees were bent before landing. He stated that he would instruct future passengers to point their toes in the direction of travel and add a question to his passenger questionnaire to inquire if a passenger had a medical condition that would cause the passenger to have weak bones.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.