Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 accident near Owego, NY
On August 6, 1995, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 (balloon) was involved in an accident near Owego, NY. 2 people were seriously injured. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- August 6, 1995
- Place
- Owego, NY
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 · Balloon
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 2 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 42.099°N, 76.260°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001207X04345
NTSB summary
On August 6, 1995, at 0941 eastern daylight time, a Balloon Works Firefly 7, N3716G, a hot-air balloon, sustained substantial damage during a collision with a tractor trailer, while maneuvering to land in a parking lot near Owego, New York. The commercial pilot and one passenger received serious injuries, and the private pilot/owner and another passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which originated at the Tri-Cities Airport, Endicott, New York. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. In a statement submitted by the commercial pilot, he stated: The flight originated from the Spiedie Fest/Balloon Rally at the Tri-Cities Airport....I was asked by [another pilot] to fly with him and his friends....The 0600 pilot briefing was dense fog with possible light rain in the forecast. Winds were [from] 080 [degrees] at 5 knots at 1000 feet and increasing to 10 [to] 20 knots at 4000 feet. The fog was forecast to clear at about 0830. At 0845 the rally organizer cleared for a flight and was inflating his balloon. [The pilot] decided to proceed with the inflation.... [During the flight] I noticed hawks beginning to soar, which is a sign of thermal activity and remarked that we should be landing at the first opportunity....At this time I was flying the balloon. I attempted a rapid descent into the field but the balloon was being taken into the trees to the south. We avoided going into the trees which were at this time oscillating due to the turbulence....I realized that we were caught in some form
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate evaluation of weather conditions which resulted in an encounter with a downdraft, inflight loss of control, and a collision with a vehicle.
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Browse: New York · Balloon Works aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
