Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, October 4, 1988
On October 4, 1988 at about 3:15 pm local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 7, registered N3678E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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
- October 4, 1988 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Albuquerque, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 · all FIREFLY 7s on the register
- Registration
- N3678E · no longer on the register · serial F 7-064
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE COMMERCIAL BALLOON PLT AND ONE PAX WERE PARTICIPATING IN A BALLOON FIESTA. THE ACFT TOOK OFF FROM ALBUQUERQUE, ON A LOCAL FLIGHT IN LIGHT WINDS. AT ALTITUDE, THE BALLOON ENCOUNTERED EASTERLY WINDS THAT CARRIED THE BALLOON SOUTHWEST OF ALBUQUERQUE, WHERE A LANDING WAS ATTEMPTED. PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN, THE BALLOON BRUSHED A TREE AND THE PLT ADDED HEAT TO ATTEMPT TO CLIMB. THE BALLOON DID NOT RESPOND FAST ENOUGH AND IT STRUCK THE TERRAIN. THE PAX JUMPED FROM THE BASKET PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN. AT TOUCHDOWN, THE BALLOON BOUNCED BACK INTO THE AIR AND THE EASTERLY WIND PUSHED THE BALLOON INTO A WALL AND THROUGH THE PICTURE WINDOW OF A RESIDENCE. THE BALLOON CAME TO REST WITH THE ENVELOPE DRAPED OVER THE ROOF, AND THE BASKET INSIDE THE HOME.
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: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 349 hours in all; 331 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 31 in the last 30 days; 331 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 320 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 21, 1988; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,660 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Albuquerque NM at 2:30 pm
- Destination: NONE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
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.