Balloon Works Firefly 8B-15 accident near Colo. Springs, Colorado, September 2, 2001
On September 2, 2001 at about 2:15 pm local time, a Balloon Works Firefly 8B-15, registered N2575P, suffered minor damage in an accident near Colo. Springs, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the passenger's failure to follow instructions given to brace for a high wind landing, and the pilot's failure to adequately monitor the passenger's actions. A contributing factor was the thermal lift.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 2, 2001 · about 2:15 pm local time · cases in 2001
- Place
- Colo. Springs, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works Firefly 8B-15 · all Firefly 8B-15s on the register
- Registration
- N2575P · registry record · serial F8B-436
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and his passenger took off in the balloon, leveled off at 1,000 feet, and flew south. The wind velocity increased to about 15 mph and the pilot decided to land. He chose a field in which two balloons had already landed. He briefed his passenger on the position to assume for a high wind landing. The pilot made a "stand up" landing, but a thermal caused the balloon to ascend about 30 to 40 feet. It touched down a second time and the pilot vented the envelope. According to the pilot, the "passenger's foot was out of position and twisted on impact." X-rays taken later indicated the ankle was fractured.
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: 131 hours in all; 24 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 96 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 1, 2000
- Medical certificate: None
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 198 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 23, 2001; 4 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Colo. Springs CO at 1:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 am from COS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2575P on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 8 183 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Balloon Works 565 aircraft on the register
- Engine: · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,860 since 1982 · 383 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,484 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN01LA158.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.