# Accident 20031009027289A: Balwks FIREFLY11B, Albuquerque, NM, October 9, 2003

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 9, 2003, 09:38 local time
- Place: Albuquerque, NM
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.0599° N, 106.6194° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.0599&lon=-106.6194&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2190S, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2190S-2018-01-11) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Firefly Balloons GALAXY 11B (registry code 1050156, https://openairdocs.org/model/firefly-balloons-galaxy-11b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BALWKS FIREFLY11B
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,202 total, 18 in this make and model, 89 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN04LA006](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN04LA006) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20031009027289A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON OCTOBER 9, 2003, AT APPROXIMATELY 2000 MST A FIREFLY GALAXY 11B BALLOON, N2190S, REGISTERED TO DAVID E. SMITH, COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND ON LANDING IN A FIELD NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF RIO BRAVO ROAD AND COORS BLVD., ALBUQUERQUE, NM. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WITH INJURIES AND/OR BURNS TO THE PASSENGERS AND PILOT. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED SOUTH OF KRISPY KREAM IN RIO RANCHO, NM, ON OCTOBER 9, 2003, AT 0800 MST.

## 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 DEN04LA006](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN04LA006), Oct 9, 2003: Firefly Balloons Galaxy 11B (N2190S), Albuquerque, NM, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during a high-wind landing, resulting in a hard landing, the subsequent tipping of the balloon's basket, a post impact flash fire, and the ejection of…

## Other reports on N2190S (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 20060727015069A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20060727015069A), Jul 27, 2006: Balwks FIREFLY11B (N2190S), Albuquerque, NM. (-23) On July 27, 2006 at 0800 MDT a firefly 11B hot air balloon, N2190S, registered to and piloted by [privacy data omitted] made a hard landing near 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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