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).
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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 October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 1998 · about 2:10 pm local time
- 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 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN99LA023.