Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 accident near Colo. Springs, Colorado, February 11, 1987
On February 11, 1987 at about 4:20 pm local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 7, registered N40458, was involved in an accident near Colo. Springs, Colorado. It was an instructional 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 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 11, 1987 · about 4:20 pm local time
- 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 7 · all FIREFLY 7s on the register
- Registration
- N40458 · no longer on the register · serial 7897
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE BALLOON ATTEMPTED A NORMAL LANDING. THE INSTRUCTOR PLT DIVERTED HIS ATTENTION WHILE THE STUDENT PLT ALLOWED THE ENVELOPE TO COOL EXCESSIVELY. THIS GAVE A HIGH RATE OF DESCENT AND THE BALLOON MADE A HARD LANDING.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 5,604 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 5,369 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 204 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 23, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: None NONE (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CO50 Ellicott CO at 3:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 80 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.