20041009031889I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Balwks FIREFLY 8 · Springfield, IL · October 9, 2004

Date: October 9, 2004 · 17:17 local
Place: Springfield, IL
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N90855
Reported as: Balwks FIREFLY8
People aboard: 4
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 441 total286 in this make and model15 in the last 90 days

N90855Registration cancelled Feb 23, 2018 · Balloon Works FIREFLY 8S/N F8-396 · Built 1999 Airframe modelBalloon Works FIREFLY 8 Engine modelAmateur-built UNKNOWN ENG

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) Balloon was on a local pleasure flight and had been airborne for approximately 15 minutes and was headed in southwesterly direction. The pilot reported that the main burner failed to ignite. The pilot switched bottles with no results. At this time the balloon was approaching a set of power lines so the pilot elected to open the air escape panel. The balloon missed the power lines and landed on the ground but the canopy was caught by a light pole. No one was injured. Springfield fire dept. Responded to the scene and removed the balloon from the light pole. This incident is closed with this report.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) BALLOON WAS ON A LOCAL PLEASURE FLIGHT AND HAD BEEN AIRBORNE FOR APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES AND WAS HEADED IN SOUTHWESTERLY DIRECTION. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE MAIN BURNER FAILED TO IGNITE. THE PILOT SWITCHED BOTTLES WITH NO RESULTS. AT THIS TIME THE BALLOON WAS APPROACHING A SET OF POWER LINES SO THE PILOT ELECTED TO OPEN THE AIR ESCAPE PANEL. THE BALLOON MISSED THE POWER LINES AND LANDED ON THE GROUND BUT THE CANOPY WAS CAUGHT BY A LIGHT POLE. NO ONE WAS INJURED. SPRINGFIELD FIRE DEPT. RESPONDED TO THE SCENE AND REMOVED THE BALLOON FROM THE LIGHT POLE. THIS INCIDENT IS CLOSED WITH THIS REPORT.