# Incident 19961225044769I: Balwks FIREFLY6B, New Braunfels, TX, December 25, 1996

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 25, 1996, 16:52 local time
- Place: New Braunfels, TX
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Final Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 29.7030° N, 98.1245° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of New Braunfels, TX, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.7030&lon=-98.1245&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2376H, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2376H-2012-08-14) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Balloon Works FIREFLY 6B (registry code 1050103, https://openairdocs.org/model/balloon-works-firefly-6b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BALWKS FIREFLY6B
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 28 total, 20 in this make and model, 8 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19961225044769I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

NARRATIVE: ON DECEMBER 25, 1996, NATHAN RAY FLUGRATH LAUNCHED HIS HOT AIR BALLOON AT 4:30 PM, FROM AN ULTRA-LIGHT FIELD OFF OF FM444, NEAR NEW BRAUNFELS. WHEN HE TOOK OFF WITH THE HOT AIR BALLOON HIS OPERATING PRESSURE WAS SHOWING 80 PSI (NORMAL IS 125-140 PSI). HE TOLD ME THE MINIMUM PRESSURE FOR LIFTOFF IS 60-70 PSI. WHEN HE WAS MAKING HIS FINAL APPROACH TO LAND THE HOT AIR BALLOON WAS VERY SLUGGISH AND UNSTABLE BECAUSE OF THE LOW TANK PRESSURE. THE HOT AIR BALLOON HIT THE POWER LINES AND CRASHED 7NM SOUTHWEST OF NEW BRAUNFELS, TEXAS AT 1652C. MR FLUGRATH SUSTAINED NO INJURIES AND THE HOT AIR BALLOON HAD MINOR DAMAGE. ONE SET OF SUPPORT CABLES WAS DAMAGED AND THE WICKER BASKET HAD A GOUGE IN IT. HE ALSO STATED THAT WHEN THEY WERE MOVING THE HOT AIR BALLOON THE FABRIC WAS SLIGHTLY TORN. MR. FLUGRATH WAS THE PILOT AND ONLY OCCUPANT IN THE HOT AIR BALLOON. HE IS A STUDENT PILOT AND WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH WHAT COULD HAPPEN WHEN YOU ENCOUNTER LOW TANK PRESSURE IN A HOT AIR BALLOON.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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