Firefly Balloons FIREFLY 10 N1623L

Summary

On 9 November 2013 at about 16:00 local time, a Firefly Balloons FIREFLY 10 registered N1623L was involved in an accident near Temecula, California, United States. 10 people were on board and 5 were seriously injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 November 2013 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Temecula, California, United States

Coordinates

33.5667, -117.1167

Aircraft

Firefly Balloons FIREFLY 10

Registration

N1623L

Category

Balloon

Year built

2007

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Temecula → Temecula

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14LA049

5 people were seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to follow the Landing checklist and his inadvertent contact with the blast valve after landing, which released propane that was then ignited by an undetermined source.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After a 1-hour local sightseeing flight, the commercial pilot landed the balloon, disembarked some passengers, and kept a few passengers on board as he moved the balloon to a trailer. The pilot reported that, after setting the balloon down on the trailer, he extinguished the burner's pilot light and then took the burner down from the flight position to put it in the storage bag attached to the side of the basket. While putting the burner in the bag, he bumped the blast valve, and the burner then released propane, which ignited and resulted in a fire; the ignition source was not determined. The pilot and four passenger sustained serious injuries. The Landing checklist in the Balloon Flight Manual stated, in part, that pilots should ensure that all of the valves were firmly closed before touchdown and should bleed all of the fuel lines after landing. However, a postaccident interview with the pilot revealed the he did not shut off the appropriate valves or bleed the system of gas after he extinguished the pilot light. Therefore, it is likely that the pilot's failure to follow the Landing checklist allowed the burner to release propane when he inadvertently bumped the blast valve after landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.