NTSB investigations: Balloon Works FIREFLY 7
12 cases on aircraft the registry lists as Balloon Works FIREFLY 7, where the first occurrence was “Hard landing”. Aircraft are matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model, so older matches can be wrong.
Cases per year
| 1982 | 2 |
|---|---|
| 1983 | 1 |
| 1984 | 1 |
| 1985 | 1 |
| 1986 | 1 |
| 1987 | 2 |
| 1991 | 1 |
| 1994 | 1 |
| 1995 | 1 |
| 1998 | 1 |
Where
Open the mapLatest cases
Query with SQL
duckdb -csv -c "SELECT c.\"ntsbNumber\", c.\"eventDate\", c.\"eventType\", c.\"eventCity\", c.\"eventStateOrRegion\", a.n_number, a.\"aircraftMake\", a.\"aircraftModel\", c.\"highestInjuryLevel\", c.\"totalFatal\", c.\"completionStatus\", c.report_url
FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_case_detail.parquet' c LEFT JOIN 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_aircrafts.parquet' a ON a.case_mkey = c.\"mKey\" AND a.position = 1
WHERE c.\"mKey\" IN (SELECT x.case_mkey FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_aircrafts.parquet' x WHERE x.aircraft_model_code IN ('1050100')
AND EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_occurrences.parquet' o WHERE o.case_mkey = x.case_mkey AND o.aircrafts_position = x.position AND o.\"occurrenceNumber\" = 1 AND o.\"occurrenceCode\" = 200))
ORDER BY c.\"eventDate\" DESC, c.\"ntsbNumber\" DESC"Prints the whole list as CSV. It reads the release’s Parquet files over HTTPS, so there’s nothing to download first. Install DuckDB to run it.
SELECT c."ntsbNumber", c."eventDate", c."eventType", c."eventCity", c."eventStateOrRegion", a.n_number, a."aircraftMake", a."aircraftModel", c."highestInjuryLevel", c."totalFatal", c."completionStatus", c.report_url
FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_case_detail.parquet' c LEFT JOIN 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_aircrafts.parquet' a ON a.case_mkey = c."mKey" AND a.position = 1
WHERE c."mKey" IN (SELECT x.case_mkey FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_aircrafts.parquet' x WHERE x.aircraft_model_code IN ('1050100')
AND EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_occurrences.parquet' o WHERE o.case_mkey = x.case_mkey AND o.aircrafts_position = x.position AND o."occurrenceNumber" = 1 AND o."occurrenceCode" = 200))
ORDER BY c."eventDate" DESC, c."ntsbNumber" DESCRun it at the DuckDB prompt, or in any tool that reads Parquet over HTTPS. More ways to query the release are on Use the data.
NTSB DEN99LA006Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportBalloon Works FIREFLY-7 · Alberquerque, NMThe passenger's failure to follow procedures/directives for a hard landing. A factor was the congested/confined landing area with power lines on both ends.NTSB FTW95LA280Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportBalloon Works Firefly 7 · Littleton, COThe failure of the pilot to maintain control of the Balloon during landing.NTSB NYC95LA026Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportBalloon Works Firefly 7 · Nashua, NHThe pilot's improper touchdown which resulted in a rollover.NTSB CHI91LA292Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportBalloon Works Firefly X-7 · Altoona, IAWeather evaluation misjudged and overconfidence in personal ability. A factor related to the accident was high winds.NTSB BFO87LA063Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportBalloon Works Firefly 7 · Richmond, VAThe Balloon was 10th to takeoff in a hound-&-hare competition. Drg flt, the plt noticed the wind had picked up & that the Balloon was drifting towards Richmond. He decided to land in a cemetery & briefed the passengers that the Balloon would touch down hard &…NTSB DEN87LA054Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportBalloon Works Firefly 7 · Colo. Springs, COThe Balloon attempted a normal landing. The instructor plt diverted his attention while the student plt allowed the envelope to cool excessively. This gave a high rate of descent and the Balloon made a hard landing.NTSB MKC86LA191Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportBarnes AX-7 · Creston, IAThe pilot of the hot air balloon made a landing that was hard enough to break her right ankle. The pilot stated the accident possibly could have been avoided if she had been wearing hightop shoes with laces.NTSB MKC85LA185Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportBalloon Works Firefly 7 · Shawnee, KSThe commercial Balloon plt was giving a ride to three paying passengers. Plt stated that during the landing apch higher than normal winds were present so he briefed the passengers to lean against the side of the basket. He stated that he pulled the deflation…NTSB NYC84IA164Incident · Minor injuriesIncident investigationFinal reportBarnes Firefly 7 · Gorham, MEDuring touch and go landings the balloon encountered increased winds. The balloon touched down hard tilting the basket onto its side. A passengers arm became caught between the basket and the ground.NTSB DEN84LA043Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportBalloon Works Firefly 7 · Monte Vista, COThe plt was participating in a 'hare & hounds' Balloon contest. The aircrews were wx briefed at the launch site before the event. Reportedly, there was a front approaching but it was not expected to move thru until about 2 to 3 hrs after the contest.…NTSB DEN82DTE26Accident · Serious injuriesFinal reportBarnes AX-7 · Aurora, COThe VFR local pleasure flight was being conducted in strong 20-25 kt wind conditions. The wind condition had changed substantially during the duration of the flight. During a landing in a plowed field the gondola bounced and was drug approximately 270 feet.…NTSB FTW82FQA21Accident · Serious injuriesFinal reportBarnes AX-7 · Albuquerque, NMThe pilot stated she made a practice landing near a large hill and had no problems landing. She continued flight for approximately 20 minutes and prepared to land on a road. The balloon impacted a road embankment at touchdown and the pilot broke her leg. She…