- Date
- October 4, 1988, 09:15 local (15:15 UTC)
- Place
- Albuquerque, NM
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3678EBalloon Works Firefly 7
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 3, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881004044269A
- Case key
- 17623
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Analysis
The commercial balloon plt and one pax were participating in a balloon fiesta. The acft took off from Albuquerque, on a local flight in light winds. At altitude, the balloon encountered easterly winds that carried the balloon southwest of Albuquerque, where a landing was attempted. Prior to touchdown, the balloon brushed a tree and the plt added heat to attempt to climb. The balloon did not respond fast enough and it struck the terrain. The pax jumped from the basket prior to touchdown. At touchdown, the balloon bounced back into the air and the easterly wind pushed the balloon into a wall and through the picture window of a residence. The balloon came to rest with the envelope draped over the roof, and the basket inside the home.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3678E
- Reported as
- Balloon Works Firefly 7
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- F 7-064
- Airframe hours
- 320
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Stevenson, Stanley E.
- Registered owner
- Stanley E Stevenson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 21, 1988 · 54 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Albuquerque, NM
- Destination
- NONE
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
- 60
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Flight hours
- 349 total · 331 in this make and model · 331 as pilot in command · 41 in the last 90 days · 31 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.