# Accident 20040925031109A: Galaxy GALAXY 9, Fairlea, WV, September 25, 2004

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 25, 2004, 18:30 local time
- Place: Fairlea, WV
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Other Ground Ops
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.7814° N, 80.4567° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.7814&lon=-80.4567&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2200Z, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2200Z-2008-05-19) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Firefly Balloons GALAXY 9 (registry code 1050159, https://openairdocs.org/model/firefly-balloons-galaxy-9) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: GALAXY GALAXY 9
- People aboard: 7
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 135 total, 75 in this make and model, 28 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC04LA217](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC04LA217) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040925031109A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ACCORDING TO THE PASSENGERS, THEY HAD LANDED IN A FIELD AND ALL OF THE OCCUPANTS HAD EXITED THE BALLOON WHEN A SMALL AIRPLANE FLEW "VERY LOW" OVER THE TOP OF THE STILL INFLATED BALLOON. AT THE SAME TIME, THE BALLOON BEGAN TO ASCEND WITH THE PILOT HANGING ONTO THE OUTSIDE OF THE BASKET. THE BALLOON CONTINUED TO ASCEND WITH THE PILOT STILL HANGING FROM THE BASKET. THE BASKET REACHED A HEIGHT OF APPROXIMATELY 80 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL WHEN THE PILOT FELL FROM THE BASKET.

## 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 NYC04LA217](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC04LA217), Sep 25, 2004: Firefly Galaxy 9 (N2200Z), Lewisburg, WV, minor damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's improper decision to attempt to board the balloon while it was ascending.

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.