Balloon Works Firefly 8B-15 accident near Piedmont, Oklahoma, October 9, 2004
On October 9, 2004 at about 2:20 pm local time, a Balloon Works Firefly 8B-15, registered N2563W, was destroyed in an accident near Piedmont, Oklahoma. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with power lines while landing. Contributing factors were the reduced visibility, fog, and low cloud ceiling.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 9, 2004 · about 2:20 pm local time · cases in 2004
- Place
- Piedmont, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works Firefly 8B-15 · all Firefly 8B-15s on the register
- Registration
- N2563W · no longer on the register · serial F8B-449
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 79-hour lighter-than-air private pilot elected to land the balloon after encountering adverse weather condition about 15 minutes after departure. While landing on an open field with a downhill slope, the balloon was drifted towards a set of power lines. The pilot elected to initiate an emergency envelope deflation to avoid getting too close to the powerlines. After touchdown, the envelope of the balloon came in contact with the power lines. The pilot added that adverse weather consisted of visibilities of less than a mile, lowering ceilings and fog.
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: 79 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 60 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 318.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 13, 2004; 72.1 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Piedmont OK at 9:15 am
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 0.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast; ovct
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 2:45 pm from PWA, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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
- N2563W: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- 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 Oklahoma 1,300 since 1982 · 181 in the last ten years
- Oklahoma 5,653 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DFW05CA002.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.