- Date
- April 5, 1987, 07:40 local (14:40 UTC)
- Place
- Phoenix, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 minor, 4 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3750DBalloon Works Firefly 8-24
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 30, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870405008419A
- Case key
- 25557
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
During a pleasure balloon ride, the balloon lifted off in a southerly direction then shifted to a south easterly direction. The plt felt that the balloons response time for adequate lift took too long. The balloon began drifting toward 50 to 60 ft power lines. The plt decided at aprx 50 ft AGL to land the balloon. The pilot pulled the top out of the balloon which descended rapidly colliding with the terrain. The balloon came to rest aprx 100 ft from the power lines.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3750D
- Reported as
- Balloon Works Firefly 8-24 (FIREFLY 8-)
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- FS027
- Airframe hours
- 370
- Engine
- Unknown UNKNOWN, unknown
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Sedona Redrock Balloon Advent.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 8, 1987 · 81 hours before
- Departed
- Phoenix, AZ
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
- 40
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 731 total · 422 in this make and model · 52 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DVT, 5 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.
Other investigations on N3750D · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.