Balloon Works FIREFLY8B N3180S

Summary

On 12 March 2016 at about 14:00 local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY8B registered N3180S was involved in an accident near Rock Hill, South Carolina, 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

12 March 2016 at 14:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Rock Hill, South Carolina, United States

Coordinates

34.8972, -81.0800

Aircraft

Balloon Works FIREFLY8B

Registration

N3180S

Category

Balloon

Year built

1996

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rock Hill → Rock Hill

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA16LA172

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s inadequate compensation for wind, which resulted in the balloon landing hard and a passenger sustaining a serious injury.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was operating a balloon sightseeing trip with two passengers on board. According to the pilot, after the balloon cleared trees during the approach to a field, a wind gust and downdraft caused it to land hard; the balloon sustained no damage. The pilot reported that, for the landing sequence, both passengers were instructed to put their feet and knees together, slightly bend their knees, and hold onto two places in the basket. During the hard landing, one passenger was thrown into another passenger and impacted her leg with his knee, which resulted in her sustaining a serious injury. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the balloon that would have prevented normal operation. The closest weather reporting system, located about 5.5 nautical miles northeast of the accident site, and the pilot reported that the wind was from 110 degrees and between about 3 and 5 knots around the time of the accident. It is likely that the pilot did not adequately compensate for the wind during the landing approach, which resulted in the hard landing and the passenger's serious injuries.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.