Balloon Works FIREFLY-7B accident near Greenwood, Missouri, June 9, 1991
On June 9, 1991 at about 1:30 am local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY-7B, registered N3605G, suffered minor damage in an accident near Greenwood, Missouri. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE INADEQUATE BRIEFING TO THE GROUND CREW BY THE PILOT, BECAUSE THE GROUND CREWMAN DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE INTENT AND OBJECTIVES OF THE MANEUVER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 9, 1991 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Greenwood, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY-7B · all FIREFLY-7Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3605G · no longer on the register · serial F7B-062
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT SAID THAT WHILE REPOSITIONING THE BALLOON AFTER LANDING, SHE ASCENDED ABOUT 100 AGL TO CLEAR SOME TREES. SHE HEARD A VOICE BELOW SHOUT, 'I CAN'T HANG ON.' LOOKING DOWN SHE SAW A GROUND CREW MEMBER HANGING ON A TETHER LINE. HE LOST HIS GRIP AND FELL INTO SOME TREES FROM ABOUT 100 FEET AGL AND SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES. THE DECEASED GROUND CREW MEMBER'S WIFE HAD BEEN A PASSENGER WITH HER HUSBAND ON THE FLIGHT PRECEDING THE ACCIDENT. SHE RECALLED THERE WAS DISCUSSION ABOUT WALKING THE BALLOON THROUGH THE TREE LINE, BUT AT NO TIME HEARD ANY INSTRUCTIONS ABOUT NOT TOUCHING, PUSHING OR HOLDING THE BALLOON'S TOW LINE. SHE ALSO SAID SHE DID NOT BELIEVE THE BALLOON WOULD BE RISING TO AN ALTITUDE SUFFICIENT TO CLEAR THE TREE LINE.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 44 hours in all; 4 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 32 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,050 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Greenwood MO at 1:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.