# Accident 20080331832199A: Balwks FIREFLY9, Questa, NM, March 31, 2008

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 31, 2008, 08:30 local time
- Place: Questa, NM
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 36.7106° N, 105.6059° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Questa, NM, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.7106&lon=-105.6059&mi=10
- Aircraft: N72345, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N72345-2018-01-24) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Balloon Works FIREFLY 9 (registry code 1050120, https://openairdocs.org/model/balloon-works-firefly-9) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BALWKS FIREFLY9
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 800 total, 240 in this make and model, 30 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20080331832199A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON MARCH 31, AT 0830 MDT A BALLOON WORKS FIREFLY 140 FF9, N72345, WAS DESTROYED IN A FIRE AFTER A HARD LANDING IN A VALLEY IN THE WILD RIVER PARK WEST OF QUESTA, NEW MEXICO. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES AND THE 5 PASSENGERS SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES. AT APPROXIMATELY 20 FEET ABOVE GROUND THE BALLOON ENCOUNTERED GUSTING WINDS AND DOWNDRAFTS. THE BALLOON INITIALLY IMPACTED THE GROUND WITH ENOUGH FORCE TO EJECT 4 OF THE PASSENGERS. THE BALLOON BECAME AIRBORNE AND FLEW FOR AN ADDITIONAL 1000 FEET BEFORE A SECOND IMPACT EJECTED THE PILOT AND FIFTH PASSENGER. THE BALLOON BECAME AIRBORNE AND TRAVELED APPROXIMATELY 3200 FEET NORTH WHERE IT WAS STOPPED BY TREES AND RISING TERRAIN. FIRE CONSUMED THE BALLOON.

## NTSB investigation

None matched to this report by aircraft and date. Search the NTSB's own records: https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/basic-search

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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