- Date
- June 8, 1991, 20:30 local (Jun 9, 1991, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- Greenwood, MO
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 uninjured; on the ground: 1 fatal
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Other
- Aircraft
- N3605GBalloon Works FIREFLY-7B
- Weather
- Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910608020399A
- Case key
- 15088
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 inadequate briefing to the ground crew by the pilot, because the ground crewman did not understand the intent and objectives of the maneuver.
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 pilot said that while repositioning the balloon after landing, she ascended about 100 AGL to clear some trees. She heard a voice below shout, 'I can't hang on.' Looking down she saw a ground crew member hanging on a tether line. He lost his grip and fell into some trees from about 100 feet AGL and suffered fatal injuries. The deceased ground crew member's wife had been a passenger with her husband on the flight preceding the accident. She recalled there was discussion about walking the balloon through the tree line, but at no time heard any instructions about not touching, pushing or holding the balloon's tow line. She also said she did not believe the balloon would be rising to an altitude sufficient to clear the tree line.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3605G
- Reported as
- Balloon Works FIREFLY-7B
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- F7B-062
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Karmen W. Goosey
- Departed
- Greenwood, MO
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
- 29
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Unknown
- Flight hours
- 44 total · 32 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Dusk
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 68 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.