# Accident 20070117001539A: Balwks FIREFLY9B15, Phoenix, AZ, January 17, 2007

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 17, 2007, 09:14 local time
- Place: Phoenix, AZ
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.7794° N, 112.1825° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.7794&lon=-112.1825&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9087Z, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9087Z-2014-06-26) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Balloon Works FIREFLY 9B-15 (registry code 1050121, https://openairdocs.org/model/balloon-works-firefly-9b-15) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BALWKS FIREFLY9B15
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 183 total, 17 in this make and model, 24 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX07CA071](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX07CA071) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20070117001539A

## Narrative

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

(-23) PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND AND STATED HE ENCOUNTERED A DOWNDRAFT DURING APPROACH AND SUBSEQUENTLY MADE A HARD LANDING. WHEN THE BALLOON COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN ONE PASSENGER WAS EJECTED AND SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES.

## 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 LAX07CA071](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX07CA071), Jan 17, 2007: Balloon Works Firefly 9B-15 (N9087Z), Peoria, AZ, no damage. Probable cause: The balloon’s inadvertent encounter with a downdraft, which resulted in a hard landing.

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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