- Date
- November 4, 1986, 08:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- Brandon, FL
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N37171Balloon Works Firefly 8-24
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19861104060169A
- Case key
- 31825
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
A high sink rate was not arrested prior to the hard ldg. The plt stated that he briefed the pax on ldg procedures which included a tight grip in the event of an emerg ldg. The pax statements differed from those of the balloon crew concerning the content of the pre flt briefing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N37171
- Reported as
- Balloon Works Firefly 8-24 (FIREFLY 8-)
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- F8-070
- Airframe hours
- 81
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Baloon Depot, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 20, 1985 · 81 hours before
- Flight plan
- Unknown
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
- 61 total · 8 in this make and model · 48 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TPA, 12 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.