20040508008369I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Balwks FIRE FLY 10 · Indio, CA · May 8, 2004

Date: May 8, 2004 · 08:00 local
Place: Indio, CA
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N15091
Reported as: Balwks FIREFLY10
People aboard: 5
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,758 total234 in this make and model11 in the last 90 days

N15091Registration cancelled May 29, 2020 · Balloon Works FIRE FLY 10S/N F10-2002 · Built 2001 Airframe modelBalloon Works FIRE FLY 10 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) Mr. Carter was the pilot in command on N15091, firefly-10 balloon, on may 8, 2004. This flight was a commercial flight carrying 10 passengers. According to the pilot statement approximately thirty minutes into the flight, Mr. Carter observed that the ground winds appeared to be increasing. He made a decision to manuever the balloon to land at the thermal airport. He descended to 400' altitude and was flying level for 3-5 minutes. He felt a strong wind blowing on his face indicating a change in the wind direction and ignited both burners anticipating the possible loss of altitude that might come from the envelope encountering such a wind shear. The balloon immediately began to descend resulting in a hard landing. Only minor injuries were incurred by some passengers (I.e. scratches and bruises).

As the FAA filed it

(-23) MR. CARTER WAS THE PILOT IN COMMAND ON N15091, FIREFLY-10 BALLOON, ON MAY 8, 2004. THIS FLIGHT WAS A COMMERCIAL FLIGHT CARRYING 10 PASSENGERS. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT STATEMENT APPROXIMATELY THIRTY MINUTES INTO THE FLIGHT, MR. CARTER OBSERVED THAT THE GROUND WINDS APPEARED TO BE INCREASING. HE MADE A DECISION TO MANUEVER THE BALLOON TO LAND AT THE THERMAL AIRPORT. HE DESCENDED TO 400' ALTITUDE AND WAS FLYING LEVEL FOR 3-5 MINUTES. HE FELT A STRONG WIND BLOWING ON HIS FACE INDICATING A CHANGE IN THE WIND DIRECTION AND IGNITED BOTH BURNERS ANTICIPATING THE POSSIBLE LOSS OF ALTITUDE THAT MIGHT COME FROM THE ENVELOPE ENCOUNTERING SUCH A WIND SHEAR. THE BALLOON IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO DESCEND RESULTING IN A HARD LANDING. ONLY MINOR INJURIES WERE INCURRED BY SOME PASSENGERS (I.E. SCRATCHES AND BRUISES).