Firefly Balloons, Inc FIREFLY 10 accident near Temecula, CA
On November 9, 2013, a Firefly Balloons, Inc FIREFLY 10 (balloon) was involved in an accident near Temecula, CA. 5 people were seriously injured.
- Date
- November 9, 2013
- Place
- Temecula, CA
- Aircraft
- Firefly Balloons, Inc FIREFLY 10 · Balloon
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 5 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- —
- Position
- 33.567°N, 117.117°W
- NTSB ID
- 20131113X51744
Official records · WPR14LA049
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On November 9, 2013, about 0800 Pacific standard time, a Firefly Balloons, Inc., Firefly 10, N1623L, experienced a fire after landing near Temecula, California. D&D Hot Air Ballooning was operating the balloon under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The airline transport pilot (commercial lighter-than-air balloon pilot) and four passengers sustained serious injuries; five passengers were not injured. The balloon was not damaged during the accident sequence. The local sight-seeing flight departed Temecula about 0700. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. A passenger reported that the balloon had landed after a 1-hour flight, and some passengers disembarked. The remaining passengers stayed on board as the operator moved the balloon toward the retrieval trailer, and sat it on the trailer. The pilot shut off one of the two burners. A passenger reported smelling propane throughout the flight, and the smell was especially strong during retrieval immediately prior to a flash and a fireball erupting. The pilot provided a written statement. He stated that he shut off the pilot light of the burner, and took the burner down from the flight position to put it in the storage bag attached to the side of the basket. While putting the burner in the bag, he bumped the blast valve, and propane came out of the burner. The propane ignited, but he did not know what the ignition source was. Burner Exams A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector and the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge superv
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to follow the Landing checklist and his inadvertent contact with the blast valve after landing, which released propane that was then ignited by an undetermined source.
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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
