Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B N74191
6 August 1989 · Louisville, Colorado, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 6 August 1989 at about 13:55 local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B registered N74191 was involved in an accident near Louisville, Colorado, United States. 4 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 13:55
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Louisville, Colorado, United States
- Coordinates
- 39.9594, -105.1396
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B
- Registration
- N74191
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- 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
- DEN89LA185
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO ADEQUATELY EVALUATE THE WEATHER PRIOR TO TAKEOFF. HIGH WINDS DEVELOPED DURING THE BALLOON FLIGHT WHICH RESULTED IN A ROUGH LANDING.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE WIND WAS CALM WHEN HE LAUNCHED BUT BECAME STRONG AND GUSTY DURING THE ONE HR FLT. HE SAID HE LANDED ON THE TOP OF A MESA WITH THE WIND ESTIMATED TO BE 25 KTS, WITH GUSTS TO 35 KTS. DURING THE LANDING THE PASSENGERS WERE JOSTLED AROUND AND ONE PASSENGER RECEIVED A SERIOUS INJURY.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Balloon Works FIREFLY accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Nov 1989 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Richard K. Tanner | Minor injuries | - |
| 31 Aug 1989 | Balloon Works FIREFLY | Hatboro, Pennsylvania, United States | John W. Edling | Serious injuries | - |
| 11 Jun 1989 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B | Garner, North Carolina, United States | The Balloon Plantation, Inc | Fatal | 3 |
| 5 Aug 1989 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 6B | Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 8 Aug 1989 | Balloon Works FIREFLY-7 | Indianola, Iowa, United States | Reinert, Michael P. | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 Jul 1988 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Jan 1989 | Cessna 172 | Longmont, Colorado, United States | Denver Air Center | No injuries | - |
| 6 Jan 1989 | Piper PA-31T | Craig, Colorado, United States | Cummins Power Inc | No injuries | - |
| 18 Jan 1989 | Beechcraft V35B | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 28 Jan 1989 | Cessna P210N | Durango, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 Feb 1989 | Piper PA-18-150 | Boulder, Colorado, United States | Boulder Flying Service | No injuries | - |
| 9 Feb 1989 | Cessna 152 | Gill, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |