Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B-15 N72524
23 June 2001 · Celina, Texas, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 23 June 2001 at about 20:15 local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B-15 registered N72524 was involved in an accident near Celina, Texas, United States. 2 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 20:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Celina, Texas, United States
- Coordinates
- 33.1802, -96.5891
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B-15
- Registration
- N72524
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- McKinney → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Bright
- NTSB number
- FTW01LA154
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
the unsuitable landing area selected by the pilot-in-command which resulted in a hard landing. A contributing factor was the uneven/rough terrain.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The commercial balloon pilot was demonstrating an upslope landing on a terraced hill. The balloon bounced on one of the terraces, and the student pilot was "thrown forward." The student pilot lost her footing, one of her shoes became lodged in the bottom of the basket, and she sustained a broken ankle. The instructor aborted the landing, and landed the balloon at the next available field.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Balloon Works FIREFLY accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sep 2001 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B-15 | Colo. Springs, Colorado, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 11 May 2002 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7B-15 | Port Allen, Louisiana, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 27 Aug 2002 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7B-15 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States | Flying High Balloon Services | Serious injuries | - |
| 9 Apr 2000 | Balloon Works FIREFLY F-15 | Anthony, New Mexico, United States | Marta C. Pritchard | No injuries | - |
| 6 Aug 2000 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 8 | Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 11 Aug 2000 | Balloon Works FIREFLY II | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | HOT Air Expeditions | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Jun 2001 | Cessna 340A | Lancaster, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 May 2001 | Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 | The Woodlands, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 23 Aug 2001 | Piper PA-46-310P | Bulverde, Texas, United States | Mr. Jan M. Klinck & Mr. Gary K. Klinck | Fatal | 1 |
| 30 Apr 2001 | Cessna 172N | Marfa, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Apr 2001 | Hughes 269B | Nacogdoches, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 23 Aug 2001 | Piper PA-18-150 | Van Horn, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |