# Incident 20041009031889I: Balwks FIREFLY8, Springfield, IL, October 9, 2004

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 9, 2004, 17:17 local time
- Place: Springfield, IL
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.8017° N, 89.6437° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Springfield, IL, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.8017&lon=-89.6437&mi=10
- Aircraft: N90855, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N90855-2018-02-23) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Balloon Works FIREFLY 8 (registry code 1050109, https://openairdocs.org/model/balloon-works-firefly-8) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG (registry code 99999, https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BALWKS FIREFLY8
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 441 total, 286 in this make and model, 15 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20041009031889I

## Narrative

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

(-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.

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.