# Accident 20000806006379A: Balwks FIREFLY8, Catoosa, OK, August 6, 2000

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 6, 2000, 09:15 local time
- Place: Catoosa, OK
- Damage: No damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 36.1803° N, 95.7703° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Catoosa, OK, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.1803&lon=-95.7703&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9091R, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N9091R) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Balloon Works FIREFLY 8 (registry code 1050109, https://openairdocs.org/model/balloon-works-firefly-8) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BALWKS FIREFLY8
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW00LA224](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW00LA224) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000806006379A

## Narrative

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

(-23) THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS PARTICIPATING IN A BALLOON RACE WITH GATESWAY INTERNATIONAL BALLOON FESTIVAL. HE HAD FOUR PASSENGERS ON BOARD. THE WINDS HAD PICKED UP BEFORE THE END OF THE FLIGHT. HE SELECTED AN OPEN FIELD TO LAND IN THAT WAS SURROUNDED BY TREES. HE TOUCHED THE TOP OF THE TREES TO SLOW FORWARD MOTION. AS HE DESCENDED, HE PULLED THE ENVELOPEE CORD ABOUT 10 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND TO DUMP THE ENVELOPE. WHEN THE BASKET HIT THE GROUND, ONE PASSENGER, WHO WAS NOT HOLDING ON AT ALL, FELL OUT. HE RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. THE BASKET WAS DRAGGED ABOUT 25 FEET BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. THE OTHER THREE PASENGERS AND THE PILOT WERE NOT INJURED.

## 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 FTW00LA224](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW00LA224), Aug 6, 2000: Balloon Works Firefly 8 (N9091R), Tulsa, OK, minor damage. Probable cause: The passenger's failure to comply with the briefing administered by the pilot. Factors were the passenger's physical impairment due to an injury sustained during the initial ground impact and the…

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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