- Date
- March 31, 1986, 07:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Pheonix, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 6 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3694CBalloon Works Firefly 8-24
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860331010839A
- Case key
- 25108
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 collided with the terrain during a sight seeing tour. The plt noticed the dust signature of ground turbulent wx phenomena known as rotors or dust devils arpx 3 miles ahead. He elected to make an immediate precautionary landing and descended to an alt of 75 ft AGL. The balloon was drifting at 3 to 5 KTS over an orchard on final apch to an open fld when it encountered the adverse wind. The balloon changed its' direction of travel 180 degs. The plt initiated a climb by switching on both burners, but the balloon descended and was dragged through the tree tops of the orchard. At 20 ft AGL the balloon began to climb to an alt of 100 to 120 ft and then encountered a strong downdraft. The plt shut off both burners and pilot lights and then alerted the passengers. The plt pulled the parachute deflation port and the balloon landed hard. On impact one passenger was thrown from the basket and sustained serious injuries.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3694C
- Reported as
- Balloon Works Firefly 8-24 (FIREFLY 8-)
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- F8050
- Airframe hours
- 262
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Mery Lee Patterson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 27, 1985 · 68 hours before
- Departed
- Glendale, AZ
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- 27
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Flight hours
- 1,200 total · 100 in this make and model · 67 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft overcast
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DVT, 11 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.