Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 N1502K
14 May 1988 · Red Creek, New York, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 14 May 1988 at about 23:05 local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 registered N1502K, operated by David J. Longeill, was involved in an accident near Red Creek, New York, United States. 3 people were on board. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 23:05
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Red Creek, New York, United States
- Coordinates
- 43.2404, -76.7200
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 7
- Registration
- N1502K
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- David J. Longeill
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC88LA142
People
Injuries not recorded.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
WHILE THE PILOT WAS WAITING FOR LIFTOFF, THREE GROUND CREWMEN WERE SITTING ON THE BASKET HOLDING THE BALLOON DOWN. AS THE PILOT PREPARED FOR LIFTOFF, HE ANNOUNCED THAT HE WAS READY FOR LIFTOFF AND UNTIED THE ROPE. AS THE BALLOON REACHED AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 6-10 FEET, ONE OF THE GROUND CREWMAN JUMPED OFF AND FELL RECEIVING SERIOUS INJURIES. THE GROUND CREWMAN WAS WAITING FOR SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE PILOT. THE PILOT SAID HE THOUGHT THE GROUND CREWMAN WAS AWARE OF THE LIFTOFF. THE PILOT AND GROUND CREWMAN HAD NOT WORKED TOGETHER BEFORE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Balloon Works FIREFLY accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Jul 1988 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Jul 1988 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B | Fort Collins, Colorado, United States | W Sebastian & Co | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Jan 1988 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 8-24 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Rainbow Balloon Flts | Serious injuries | - |
| 4 Oct 1988 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Stevenson, Stanley E. | No injuries | - |
| 5 Mar 1987 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7-B | Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Oct 1987 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7-B | Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States | Janet L. Hodges | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 May 1988 | Cessna 150 | Poland, New York, United States | James King | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 1988 | Lake LA-4-200 | Wantagh, New York, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 18 Jun 1988 | Robinson R22HP | Copake Falls, New York, United States | Aviation Training Academy | No injuries | - |
| 18 Jul 1988 | Cessna 150 | Massena, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Jul 1988 | Piper PA-32-300 | Akron, New York, United States | REX Miller Flying Service | No injuries | - |
| 1 Jul 1988 | Piper PA-23-250 | East Hampton, New York, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |