# Incident 20080817844969I: Balwks FIREFLY715, Mountain Grove, MO, August 17, 2008

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 17, 2008, 08:30 local time
- Place: Mountain Grove, MO
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Other Ground Ops
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.1304° N, 92.2610° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.1304&lon=-92.2610&mi=10
- Aircraft: N90897, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N90897-2018-01-29) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Balloon Works FIREFLY 7-15 (registry code 1050118, https://openairdocs.org/model/balloon-works-firefly-7-15) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BALWKS FIREFLY715
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 0 total, 0 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DFW08LA206](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DFW08LA206) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20080817844969I

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON THE MORNING OF AUGUST 17, 2008, SEVERAL TETHERED FLIGHTS WERE CONDUCTED ON PRIVATE PROPERTY LOCATED ON STONE RIDGE DRIVE IN MOUNTAIN GROVE, MISSOURI (GPS LOCATION N37 07 57.6 BY W92 13 33.3).  DURING THE SECOND FLIGHT AT 08:30 CST, PILOTED BY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ A PROPANE LEAK WAS OBSERVED BY SEVERAL WITNESSES ON THE GROUND.  ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS OBSERVED TRYING TO STOP THE LEAK, WHEN THE BURNER IGNITED THE PROPANE, CAUSING A LARGE EXPLOSION AND SUBSEQUENT FIRE.  WITNESSES ESTIMATE THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS APPROXIMATELY 75 TO 80 FEET AGL WHEN ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ JUMPED OUT OF THE BASKET IN AN ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE THE FIRE.  SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE SUSPENSION ROPES FAILED, CAUSING THE ENVELOPE TO SEPERATE FROM THE BASKET, WHICH CONTAINED THE BURNER AND THREE 10 GALLON PROPANE CYLINDERS.  THE FIRE ENGULFED BASKET LANDED SEVERAL FEET FROM ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND A SECOND CYLINDER EXPLODED, AS SEVERAL GROUND CREW MEMBERS WERE ATTEMPTING TO RESCUE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.  THE TWO CREW MEMBERS REACHED, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, AND STATE THAT WHILE PULLING HIM AWAY FROM THE FIRE A THIRD EXPLOSION OCCURED, KNOCKING THEM DOWN.  ONE MAN WAS BADLY BURNED DURING THE RESCUE ATTEMPT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ INJURIES WERE FATAL.  INCIDENT INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.

## 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 DFW08LA206](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DFW08LA206), Aug 17, 2008: Balloon Works Firefly 7-15 (N90897), Mountain Grove, MO, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: An on-board fire following a propane leak. Contributing to the accident was the lack of training/experience of the non-certificated pilot.

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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