- Date
- November 25, 1990, 16:25 local (Nov 26, 1990, 00:25 UTC)
- Place
- Poway, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor, 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7113UBalloon Works Firefly 8-24
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 12, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901125052089A
- Case key
- 27070
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 obtain a proper touchdown point. Contributing factors which related to the basket's tipping over were the pilot's misjudging the wind direction and the wind's relative high speed.
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 and five revenue passengers departed for a local flight. According to the pilot, during the flight the wind direction and speed changed. The pilot made several attempts at landing. A dirt field was located and the balloon touched down. It then drifted into a two foot tall embankment and tipped over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7113U
- Reported as
- Balloon Works Firefly 8-24 (FIREFLY 8-)
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- F8-114
- Engine
- Ama/Expr UNK, unknown
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Kimberly Lynch, doing business as Above All Balloon Charters
- Departed
- NONE · Del Mar, CA
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
- 30
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Flight hours
- 365 total · 365 in this make and model · 348 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 7 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.