Firefly Balloons FIREFLY 8B-15 N7067F

Summary

On 4 September 2022 at about 13:15 local time, a Firefly Balloons FIREFLY 8B-15 registered N7067F was involved in an accident near Las Cruces, New Mexico, 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

4 September 2022 at 13:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States

Nearest airport

N/A (N/A)

Coordinates

32.3243, -106.8024

Aircraft

Firefly Balloons FIREFLY 8B-15

Registration

N7067F

Category

Balloon

Year built

1998

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Las Cruces → Las Cruces

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR22LA368

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain the proper descent rate during the balloon’s approach to landing, which resulted in a hard landing and serious passenger injury.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The balloon pilot reported that, after establishing level flight at 300 feet above ground level, he initiated an approach for landing, with a 200 feet per minute rate of descent. The balloon landed hard and bounced three times. The balloon was undamaged, but a passenger sustained serious leg and rib injuries. The pilot of the balloon reported that the technique of bending the knees upon landing was omitted in his passenger briefing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the balloon that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.