# Accident 20040407030319A: Balwks FIREFLY8, Eatonton, GA, April 7, 2004

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 7, 2004, 18:15 local time
- Place: Eatonton, GA
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Other Ground Ops
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.6019° N, 83.4517° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.6019&lon=-83.4517&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2200D, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2200D-2022-12-31) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Firefly Balloons FIREFLY 8 (registry code 1050117, https://openairdocs.org/model/firefly-balloons-firefly-8) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BALWKS FIREFLY8
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 1,826 total, 7 in this make and model, 10 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ATL04LA094](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL04LA094) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040407030319A

## Narrative

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

(-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.

## 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 ATL04LA094](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL04LA094), Apr 7, 2004: Firefly F8B (N2200D), Eatonton, GA, minor damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The overload failure of the windline quick release tiedown eyebolt.

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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