# Accident 20181010019699A: Balloon Works FIREFLY 7-15, Placitas, NM, October 10, 2018

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 10, 2018, 09:50 local time
- Place: Placitas, NM
- Airport: Albuquerque International Sunport
- Damage: No damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.3075° N, 106.4911° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.3075&lon=-106.4911&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7252H, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N7252H) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Balloon Works FIREFLY 7-15 (registry code 1050118, https://openairdocs.org/model/balloon-works-firefly-7-15) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BALLOON WORKS FIREFLY 7-15
- Reported engine: NONE NONE
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 2
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 437 total, 437 in this make and model, 9 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR19TA005](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR19TA005) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20181010019699A

## Narrative

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

ON OCTOBER 10, 2018, AT 9:50 MST,  A BALLOON WORKS, FIREFLY 7-15, REGISTERED TO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, EXPERIENCED A HARD LANDING IN THE TOWN OF PLACITAS NM, WHILE PARTICIPATING IN THE 2018 ALBUQUERQUE BALLOON FIESTA.

VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED.  THE BALLOON DID NOT EXPERIENCE ANY DAMAGE AND THE PRIVATE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED.

THE TWO PASSENGERS ONBOARD WERE INJURED, BOTH SUFFERING BROKEN ANKLES.

FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT BALLOON FIESTA PARK, ALBUQUERQUE NM. ON OCTOBER 10, 2018 AT 0710 MST.

## 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 WPR19TA005](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR19TA005), Oct 10, 2018: Balloon Works Firefly 7 (N7252H), Placitas, NM, no damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to properly estimate the height of terrain while descending the balloon, which resulted in the balloon impacting a hill and passengers sustaining serious injuries.

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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