# Accident 20050413025959A: Balwks FIREFLY11, Calistoga, CA, April 13, 2005

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 13, 2005, 08:30 local time
- Place: Calistoga, CA
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.5533° N, 122.4983° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.5533&lon=-122.4983&mi=10
- Aircraft: N15001, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N15001-2017-06-07) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Firefly Balloons FIREFLY 11 (registry code 1050122, https://openairdocs.org/model/firefly-balloons-firefly-11) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BALWKS FIREFLY11
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 4,000 total, 500 in this make and model, 20 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX05LA143](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX05LA143) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050413025959A

## Narrative

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

(-23) DURING THE LANDING PHASE OF THE BALLOON FLIGHT THE BALLOON MADE A HARD LANDING. ONE OF THE PASSENGERS REPORTED PAIN IN HER LEGS. A FEW DAYS LATER, THE PASSENGER WENT TO THE HOSPITAL AND AN X-RAY REVEALED A FRACTURE IN THE LOWER BONE OF BOTH LEGS. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED. NO AIRCRAFT DAMAGE. THERE WERE SIX PASSENGERS AND ONLY ONE WAS INJURED.

## 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 LAX05LA143](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX05LA143), Apr 13, 2005: Firefly Balloon Firefly 11 (N15001), Saint Helena, CA, no damage. Probable cause: The pilot's encounter with wind shear during landing, which resulted in a hard touchdown.

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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