Balloon Works FIREFLY8 N317W

Summary

On 6 August 2016 at about 22:50 local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY8 registered N317W, operated by Araho Balloon Company Inc, was involved in an accident near Northwood, New Hampshire, United States. 6 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

6 August 2016 at 22:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Northwood, New Hampshire, United States

Coordinates

43.2053, -71.2294

Aircraft

Balloon Works FIREFLY8

Registration

N317W

Category

Balloon

Year built

1994

Operator

Araho Balloon Company Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pittsfield → Northwood

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA16LA284

1 person was seriously injured.

The balloon pilot’s inadequate weather planning and improper decision to depart in reported increasing variable winds with nearby thunderstorms, which resulted in a subsequent hard landing and a serious passenger injury.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was providing sightseeing rides in a balloon as part of an annual event, which included 17 balloons. He stated that, during a weather briefing for the event, the wind was reported to be between 8 and 10 knots and forecast to reduce to less than 5 knots before increasing again. The pilot added that, after he inflated the balloon envelope, "it was not rocking," which meant to him that the weather "was not excessively windy." He boarded five passengers and departed. The balloon uneventfully climbed to between about 1,200 and 1,500 ft. The pilot then chose a 5-acre field for landing about 6 miles south of the departure point. The balloon landed hard, and the basket momentarily tipped over before righting itself; it then dragged along the ground before coming to a stop at the edge of the field. During the landing, one passenger fell inside the basket and was seriously injured. Before the launch, several pibals (pilot balloons) were released to assess the wind conditions, which were determined to be changeable. Additionally, thunderstorms were moving through an area about 15 miles north of the balloons' planned departure point. Based on that information, the other 16 balloon pilots chose not to launch. The recorded weather at an airport located about 12 miles west of the accident site, about the time of the accident, included wind from 340° at 15 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.