Balloon Works FIREFLY 6B accident near Englewood, Colorado, November 17, 1985
On November 17, 1985 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 6B, registered N4052K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Englewood, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 17, 1985 · about 3:45 pm local time · cases in 1985
- Place
- Englewood, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 6B · all FIREFLY 6Bs on the register
- Registration
- N4052K · no longer on the register · serial 10068
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT WHILE ON A BALLOON FLT, THE BLAST VALVE, WHICH OPERATES THE BURNER FLAME, STUCK OPEN DURING ONE OF THE BURNS. THE PLT ATTEMPTED UNSUCCESSFULLY TO DISENGAGE THE BLAST VALVE. WHEN THE PLT COULD NOT STOP THE FLAME WITH THE BLAST VALVE, HE MANUALLY CLOSED THE THREE PROPANE TANKS. TO LAND, THE PLT OPENED A PROPANE TANK, RELIGHTING EACH TIME HE WISHED TO MAKE A BURN. UPON LANDING, THE ENVELOPE SHIFTED OVER THE FLAME, BURNING SEVEN GORE PANELS.
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: 48 hours in all; 34 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 48 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 276 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 11, 1985; 46 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,050 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Englewood CO at 2:30 pm
- Destination: Englewood CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 095° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 46 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 9°F (-13°C), dew point 9°F (-13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:45 pm from APA, 8 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N4052K the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N4052K: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 6 18 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 7,485 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N4052K 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN86LA025.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.