20040407030319A

Accident · Minor damage

FAA accident report · Balwks FIREFLY 8 · Eatonton, GA · April 7, 2004

Date: April 7, 2004 · 18:15 local
Place: Eatonton, GA
Phase of flight: Other Ground Ops
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N2200D
NTSB investigation: NTSBATL04LA094
Reported as: Balwks FIREFLY8
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 1
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,826 total7 in this make and model10 in the last 90 days

N2200DRegistration cancelled Dec 31, 2022 · Firefly Balloons FIREFLY 8S/N F8-2008 · Built 2004 Airframe modelFirefly Balloons FIREFLY 8 Engine 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.

(-23) Witness states that during inflation, a rope and an "I" bolt used to tie the balloon to a truck broke in a gust of wind. The rope was attached by a quick disconnect metal ring and an "I" bolt. The bolt broke from the force of the balloon as it began to rise while caught in the gust of wind and caused the rope with a portion of the I bolt still attached to the rope to swing through the air and strike the pilot in the side of the head. The injury inflicted by the "I" bolt caused a fatal injury to the pilot who passed away from his injury in the atlanta medical center on April 11, 2004, 4 days after the accident. The NTSB and FAA were notified of this accident on April 14, 2004, 7 days after it occurred and no on scene investigation was done.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) WITNESS STATES THAT DURING INFLATION, A ROPE AND AN "I" BOLT USED TO TIE THE BALLOON TO A TRUCK BROKE IN A GUST OF WIND. THE ROPE WAS ATTACHED BY A QUICK DISCONNECT METAL RING AND AN "I" BOLT. THE BOLT BROKE FROM THE FORCE OF THE BALLOON AS IT BEGAN TO RISE WHILE CAUGHT IN THE GUST OF WIND AND CAUSED THE ROPE WITH A PORTION OF THE I BOLT STILL ATTACHED TO THE ROPE TO SWING THROUGH THE AIR AND STRIKE THE PILOT IN THE SIDE OF THE HEAD. THE INJURY INFLICTED BY THE "I" BOLT CAUSED A FATAL INJURY TO THE PILOT WHO PASSED AWAY FROM HIS INJURY IN THE ATLANTA MEDICAL CENTER ON APRIL 11, 2004, 4 DAYS AFTER THE ACCIDENT. THE NTSB AND FAA WERE NOTIFIED OF THIS ACCIDENT ON APRIL 14, 2004, 7 DAYS AFTER IT OCCURRED AND NO ON SCENE INVESTIGATION WAS DONE.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB ATL04LA094Accident · 1 fatalLimited investigationFinal reportEatonton, GAThe overload failure of the windline quick release tiedown eyebolt.Apr 7, 2004 · Minor damage