- Date
- April 4, 1987, 18:03 local (Apr 5, 1987, 00:03 UTC)
- Place
- Kansas City, MO
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3695BBalloon Works Firefly 6
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 11, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870404008409A
- Case key
- 34283
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 pilot stated that lift-off and climbout were normal but, shortly thereafter, the fuel pilot light began to fail continuously until the burner flamed out. The passengers were briefed and the chase vehicle was contacted by cb radio before the plt climbed up on the side of the basket in an unsuccessful attempt to re-ignite the fuel burner's pilot light. Passengers stated that the plt ordered them to lay on the floor of the basket prior to impact as she tried to arrest the balloon's descent with the emergency burner. The balloon landed hard in an open field, bounced, then slid on the turf for approx 150 feet before snagging a barbed wire fence. A post-crash fire erupted when the balloon,s envelope draped across powerlines. The PIC stated that the emergency procedures were handled in accordance with the aircraft's flight manual.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3695B
- Reported as
- Balloon Works Firefly 6
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- F6-003
- Airframe hours
- 14
- Engine
- Unknown UNKNOWN, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Bill A. Smiley
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Limited (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 21, 1986 · 14 hours before
- Departed
- Kansas City, MO
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Flight hours
- 62 total · 62 in this make and model · 41 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °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.