Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B-15 accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, October 5, 1998
On October 5, 1998 at about 2:10 pm local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B-15, registered N3290G, was involved in an accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The passenger not following high wind landing procedures/directives which were given to her by the pilot. A factor was the unforecasted high wind condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 1998 · about 2:10 pm local time · cases in 1998
- Place
- Albuquerque, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B-15 FIREFLY 8B · all FIREFLY 8B-15s on the register
- Registration
- N3290G · registry record · serial 8B-15
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that the surface wind velocity increased to 10 to 12 knots during the flight. He reported to the Investigator-In-Charge that he descended to lower altitudes several times to 'test the wind conditions.' He briefed his passengers and performed the landing. One passenger received a broken ankle. The injured passenger told one of the crew members that she had shifted her position just before touchdown and 'she had not braced herself properly for the 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
- Flight time: 703 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 47 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 673 as pilot in command; 45 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 215 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 1, 1998; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,900 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 1:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from ABQ, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N3290G 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 New Mexico 1,423 since 1982 · 184 in the last ten years
- New Mexico 3,111 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN99LA023.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.