Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B-15 N3171L
11 May 2013 · Anthony, Kansas, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 11 May 2013 at about 11:00 local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B-15 registered N3171L, operated by Balloonport of Oklahoma Inc, was involved in an accident near Anthony, Kansas, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 11:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Anthony, Kansas, United States
- Nearest airport
- Anthony Municipal Airport (ANY)
- Coordinates
- 37.1586, -98.0797
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B-15
- Registration
- N3171L
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Balloonport of Oklahoma Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Anthony → Anthony
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN13CA278
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to monitor the balloon's altitude, which resulted in the balloon impacting an airport rotating beacon tower.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The balloon had just taken off from the airport as part of a balloon rally. The pilot said that the balloon was about 150 to 200 feet above the ground and that he was checking his flight instruments when the balloon encountered a “false lift condition” and settled on top of the rotating beacon tower on the airport. The balloon envelope was torn open, deflating the envelope, and the basket settled on the ground. A postaccident examination of the balloon showed substantial damage to the top one-third of the envelope's fabric and load tapes. No preaccident anomalies were found that would have precluded normal operation of the balloon.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Balloon Works FIREFLY accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 May 2012 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7-15 | Hallsville, Missouri, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Sep 2011 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 8 | Mingo, Iowa, United States | Diamondjake Ballooning DBA | Serious injuries | - |
| 15 Jul 2017 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B 15 | Murfreesboro, Tennessee, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 24 Feb 2017 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Statesville, North Carolina, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 10 Oct 2018 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Placitas, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 30 Mar 2008 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 9 | Questa, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Feb 2013 | Cessna 177RG | Herington, Kansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Jul 2013 | Woods Rufus Iii VANS RV-8A | Lucas, Kansas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 9 Nov 2013 | Piper PA 28-150 | Concordia, Kansas, United States | Link Gerald L | No injuries | - |
| 11 Jun 2013 | Rogers T-51 MUSTANG KIT | St Francis, Kansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Apr 2013 | Beechcraft G36 | Hoxie, Kansas, United States | Garmin International Inc | No injuries | - |
| 31 Jul 2013 | Luscombe 8A | Ellinwood, Kansas, United States | Michael Yagel | No injuries | - |