Balloon Works FIREFLY 8 accident near Mingo, Iowa, September 17, 2011
On September 17, 2011, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 8, registered N3181A, was involved in an accident during landing near Mingo, Iowa. It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the balloon’s descent during the landing, which resulted in the balloon having a hard landing in a ditch and causing a passenger to be seriously injured.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 17, 2011
- Place
- Mingo, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 8 · all FIREFLY 8s on the register
- Registration
- N3181A · no longer on the register · serial F8-413
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a balloon flight, the pilot advised the two passengers to face in the direction of travel and to bend their knees when they land. The pilot also indicated to the passengers that momentum would propel the basket occupants forward during the landing. The wind at the time of landing reportedly gave the balloon a 9 mph groundspeed. The pilot executed a touchdown into a ditch alongside a highway after making a landing approach over a soybean field. The basket subsequently laid over on its side. One passenger sustained a serious ankle injury during the hard landing. The pilot and the other passenger were not injured and the balloon was not damaged. According to the pilot, the injured passenger indicated that her knees were bent before landing. He stated that he would instruct future passengers to point their toes in the direction of travel and add a question to his passenger questionnaire to inquire if a passenger had a medical condition that would cause the passenger to have weak bones.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Hard landing during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › High wind › Contributed to outcome
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent rate › Not specified
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 800 hours in all; 320 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 780 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 9, 2010
- Medical certificate: None
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 735 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2011
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: Newton IA at 11:12 pm
- Destination: Mingo IA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 130° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,900 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 pm from TNU, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN11CA654.