# Accident 19970301002769A: Balwks FIREFLY8B, Parker, AZ, March 1, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 1, 1997, 08:15 local time
- Place: Parker, AZ
- Phase of flight: Unauth Low Level Opns
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.0799° N, 114.2205° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.0799&lon=-114.2205&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9033H, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9033H-2002-06-17) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B (registry code 1050110, https://openairdocs.org/model/balloon-works-firefly-8b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG (registry code 99999, https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BALWKS FIREFLY8B
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 98 total, 98 in this make and model, 4 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX97LA118](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97LA118) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970301002769A

## Narrative

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

FUEL PRESSURE DROP SWITCHED TANKS BUT FAILED STOP DESCENT. LANDED HARD. REPORT WINDSHEAR. PASSENGER BROKE ANKLE.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX97LA118](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97LA118), Mar 1, 1997: Balloon Works AX-8B (N9033H), Parker, AZ, no damage. Probable cause: the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning, which resulted in an excessive descent and subsequent hard landing, due to a drop in fuel pressure along with shifting winds at low altitude.

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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