- Date
- October 15, 2007, 08:45 local (12:45 UTC)
- Place
- East Hampstead, NH
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 1 minor, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N7408GBalloon Works Firefly 7
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 29, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA-Portland FSDO
- FAA report
- 20071015829919A
- Case key
- 66959
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's excessive descent rate on approach, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing factors were the adverse winds encountered during the flight, and the presence of the trees and power lines near the landing area.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The balloon impacted trees and terrain during a hard landing. Two passengers sustained serious injuries, and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The remaining passenger and the pilot were not injured. The pilot reported that the flight departed with three other balloons in light winds. He noted the wind was forecast to increase about one hour after the flight was scheduled to land. However, about halfway through the flight, the wind increased to approximately 11 miles-per-hour, with some gusts. He elected to land when he noticed the increase in the wind speed. He executed three approaches, each time electing to go-around due to adverse winds. On the accident approach, he intentionally brushed the top of a tree in order to slow the balloon. He briefed the passengers for a hard landing and descended toward an open field. After the initial impact, the basket became airborne again briefly before coming to rest. The pilot stated that he did not use the burner to reduce the descent rate due to the possibility of drifting past the selected landing area and striking power lines adjacent to the field.
Factual narrative
The balloon impacted trees and terrain during a hard landing. Two passengers sustained serious injuries, and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The remaining passenger and the pilot were not injured. The pilot reported that the flight departed with three other balloons in light winds. He noted the wind was forecast to increase about one hour after the flight was scheduled to land. However, about halfway through the flight, the wind increased to approximately 11 miles-per-hour, with some gusts. He elected to land when he noticed the increase in the wind speed. He executed three approaches, each time electing to go-around due to adverse winds. On the accident approach, he intentionally brushed the top of a tree in order to slow the balloon. He briefed the passengers for a hard landing and descended toward an open field. After the initial impact, the basket became airborne again briefly before coming to rest. The pilot stated that he did not use the burner to reduce the descent rate due to the possibility of drifting past the selected landing area and striking power lines adjacent to the field.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7408G
- Reported as
- Balloon Works Firefly 7
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- F7-278
- Airframe hours
- 51.6
- Engine
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 2007
- Departed
- PVT · Derry, NH
- Destination
- PVT · Hampstead, NH
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 31
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Last flight review
- July 1, 2007
- Flight hours
- 197 total · 197 in this make and model · 172 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- MHT, 10 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.