- Date
- August 6, 1989, 07:55 local (13:55 UTC)
- Place
- Louisville, CO
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N74191Balloon Works Firefly 8B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 2, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890806029959A
- Case key
- 17758
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 failure to adequately evaluate the weather prior to takeoff. High winds developed during the balloon flight which resulted in a rough landing.
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 plt reported that the wind was calm when he launched but became strong and gusty during the one hr flt. He said he landed on the top of a mesa with the wind estimated to be 25 KTS, with gusts to 35 KTS. During the landing the passengers were jostled around and one passenger received a serious injury.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N74191
- Reported as
- Balloon Works Firefly 8B
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- F8B037
- Airframe hours
- 363
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Vande Hoef, Edward L.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 20, 1989 · 49 hours before
- Departed
- NONE
- 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
- 34
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Flight hours
- 391 total · 20 in this make and model · 379 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 25 knots, gusting 35
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.