Balloon Works FIREFLY 9 N90902
29 September 1990 · Vacaville, California, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 29 September 1990 at about 16:00 local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 9 registered N90902 was involved in an accident near Vacaville, California, United States. 9 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.
The record
- Date
- at 16:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Vacaville, California, United States
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 9
- Registration
- N90902
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX90LA340
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
Probable cause
THE BALLOON'S ENCOUNTER WITH A SUDDEN INCREASE IN WIND SPEED ACCOMPAINED BY A STRONG DOWN DRAFT BEYOND THE COMPENSATION CAPABILITY OF THE BALLOON.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE TWO FLIGHTS CONDUCTED EARLIER IN THE MORNING WERE NORMAL WITH WINDS IN THE 4 MPH RANGE. ON THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT, THE WINDS SUDDENLY INCREASED FROM 4 TO 12 MPH. THE PILOT THEN SAID, 'INSTANTLY, WITHOUT INDICATION, A WHIRLWIND CAUGHT THE BALLOON AND SPUN IT 360 DEGREES; A DOWNDRAFT OCCURRED WITH A DESCENT RATE OF 500 FEET PER MINUTE.' THE PILOT FURTHER STATED THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO ARREST THE RATE OF DESCENT AND THE BALLOON COLLIDED WITH A SET OF POWER LINES, THEN THE GROUND.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Balloon Works FIREFLY accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Nov 1990 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 8-24 | Poway, California, United States | Kimberly Lynch | Serious injuries | - |
| 7 Aug 1990 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 8 | Napa, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 7 Aug 1990 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 9 | Napa, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 Jun 1990 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7B | Moorpark, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 19 Nov 1989 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Richard K. Tanner | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 Jun 1991 | Balloon Works FIREFLY-7B | Greenwood, Missouri, United States | Karmen W. Goosey | Fatal | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Apr 1990 | Cessna 180 | Soledad, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Oct 1990 | Cessna 150 | Riverside, California, United States | PAR Flight | No injuries | - |
| 17 Apr 1990 | Piper PA46 | Paso Robles, California, United States | Piper Aircraft Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 7 Oct 1990 | Cessna 182M | Bakersfield, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Apr 1990 | Piper J-3 | Creston, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1990 | Bell 47G4 | Merced, California, United States | John W. Myers | Serious injuries | - |