Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B-15 N31226
27 March 1998 · Elk Garden, Virginia, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 27 March 1998 at about 22:50 local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B-15 registered N31226 was involved in an accident near Elk Garden, Virginia, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 22:50
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Elk Garden, Virginia, United States
- Coordinates
- 36.8896, -82.0705
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B-15
- Registration
- N31226
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Abingdon → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Dusk
- NTSB number
- NYC98LA085
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
the pilot's improper weather evaluation. The gusty wind condition was a related factor.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that he received a weather briefing prior to departure. A tape of the weather briefing was not available, but a check of the weather available to the briefer revealed that high winds, and gusty conditions were forecast for the general area. The pilot reported that he encountered these conditions after departure, and during the landing, the basket was dragged for 438 feet. About 34 miles southwest at Bristol, TN, the wind was reported to be from 200 degrees at 10 gusting 18 knots.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Balloon Works FIREFLY accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 May 1998 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7-15 | Waterloo, Iowa, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Aug 1998 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Freehold, New Jersey, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 5 Oct 1998 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B-15 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 Oct 1998 | Balloon Works FIREFLY-7 | Alberquerque, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 May 1998 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7-B | Longmont, Colorado, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 15 Aug 1998 | Balloon Works FIREFLY AX-9 | Brookhaven, New York, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Nov 1998 | Piper PA-28-161 | Melfa, Virginia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 Aug 1998 | Beechcraft T-34B | Quantico, Virginia, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 1 Aug 1998 | Cessna 152 | Culpeper, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Feb 1998 | Goins SONERAI II LTS | Suffolk, Virginia, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 Dec 1998 | Beechcraft 36 | Mathews, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 Dec 1998 | Univair 7GC-AA | Garner, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |