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19960619034079I

Incident
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FAA incident report · Balwks FIREFLY 7 · Stanley, KS · June 19, 1996

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
June 19, 1996 · 20:30 local
Place
Stanley, KS
Phase of flight
Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Aircraft
N7109D
Reported as
Balwks FIREFLY7
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
275 total250 in this make and model6 in the last 90 days
N7109DRegistration cancelled Jun 14, 2013 · Balloon Works FIREFLY 7S/N F7-398 · Built 1987Airframe modelBalloon Works FIREFLY 7Engine modelNONENone

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: on June 19, 1996, Mr. Andrew lewis sherman operated balloon works firefly 7, hot air balloon, N7109D, as pilot in command on a passenger flight, not for compensation or hire, from belton, Missouri, to a point near Stanley, Kansas. At approximately 2030 CDT, Mr. Sherman approached a field for a landing. His ground crew ran to the landing area to catch the basket and maneuver it away from trees. One member of the ground crew was unable to move out of the way and was struck on the ankle by the balloon basket resulting in an injury. During an interview, the injured ground person admitted she "got in the way of the basket" after the balloon had hit the ground once and bounced. She also stated that the pilot in command had given a pre-launch briefing and had assigned responsibilities to each ground crew member. The pilot in command was counseled by the reporting inspector on the importance of assigning the ground crew specific responsibilities during the launch and the recovery phase of flight as well as the pilot's responsibility for supervising the ground crew. This incident report is closed.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: ON JUNE 19, 1996, MR. ANDREW LEWIS SHERMAN OPERATED BALLOON WORKS FIREFLY 7, HOT AIR BALLOON, N7109D, AS PILOT IN COMMAND ON A PASSENGER FLIGHT, NOT FOR COMPENSATION OR HIRE, FROM BELTON, MISSOURI, TO A POINT NEAR STANLEY, KANSAS. AT APPROXIMATELY 2030 CDT, MR. SHERMAN APPROACHED A FIELD FOR A LANDING. HIS GROUND CREW RAN TO THE LANDING AREA TO CATCH THE BASKET AND MANEUVER IT AWAY FROM TREES. ONE MEMBER OF THE GROUND CREW WAS UNABLE TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY AND WAS STRUCK ON THE ANKLE BY THE BALLOON BASKET RESULTING IN AN INJURY. DURING AN INTERVIEW, THE INJURED GROUND PERSON ADMITTED SHE "GOT IN THE WAY OF THE BASKET" AFTER THE BALLOON HAD HIT THE GROUND ONCE AND BOUNCED. SHE ALSO STATED THAT THE PILOT IN COMMAND HAD GIVEN A PRE-LAUNCH BRIEFING AND HAD ASSIGNED RESPONSIBILITIES TO EACH GROUND CREW MEMBER. THE PILOT IN COMMAND WAS COUNSELED BY THE REPORTING INSPECTOR ON THE IMPORTANCE OF ASSIGNING THE GROUND CREW SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES DURING THE LAUNCH AND THE RECOVERY PHASE OF FLIGHT AS WELL AS THE PILOT'S RESPONSIBILITY FOR SUPERVISING THE GROUND CREW. THIS INCIDENT REPORT IS CLOSED.