# Accident 20160312004409A: Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B-15, Rock Hill, SC, March 12, 2016

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 12, 2016, 09:00 local time
- Place: Rock Hill, SC
- Damage: No damage
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.8972° N, 81.0800° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.8972&lon=-81.0800&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3180S, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N3180S) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B-15 (registry code 1050111, https://openairdocs.org/model/balloon-works-firefly-8b-15) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BALLOON WORKS FIREFLY 8B-15
- Reported engine: NONE NONE
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 365 total, 112 in this make and model, 2 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB GAA16LA172](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA16LA172) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20160312004409A

## Narrative

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

ON SATURDAY MARCH 12, 2016 THE PILOT WAS DECENDING FOR A LANDING IN AN OPEN FIELD IN A BALLOON WITH A MALE AND FEMALE PASSENGER ON BOARD. JUST PRIOR TO TOUCH DOWN THE BALLOON ENCOUNTERED A GUSTING DOWN DRAFT WHICH CAUSED A HARD LANDING. THE MALE PASSENGER WAS THROWN OFF BALANCE AND THROWN INTO THE FEMALE PASSENGER APPARENTLY STRIKING HER LEG WITH HIS KNEE. THE FEMALE PASSENGER REFUSED TO GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM THINKING THAT SHE WAS GOING TO BE ALL RIGHT. SHE LATER HAD AN X-RAY WHICH REVEALED THAT HER LEG HAD A BROKEN TIBIA. HAD THIS EVENT NOT RESULTED IN A BROKEN BONE THIS WOULD BE A NON-ISSUE.

## 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 GAA16LA172](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA16LA172), Mar 12, 2016: Balloon Works FIREFLY8B (N3180S), Rock Hill, SC, no damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s inadequate compensation for wind, which resulted in the balloon landing hard and a passenger sustaining a serious injury.

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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