Firefly Balloons INC FIREFLY 8 accident near Fitzgerald, Georgia, March 16, 2012
On March 16, 2012 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Firefly Balloons INC FIREFLY 8, registered N14643, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Fitzgerald, Georgia. It was a skydiving flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed; 7 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's intentional flight into adverse weather. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to obtain a weather briefing and his failure to follow the balloon manufacturer's published emergency procedure for weather deterioration during flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 16, 2012 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fitzgerald, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed; 7 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Firefly Balloons INC FIREFLY 8 · all FIREFLY 8s on the register
- Registration
- N14643 · no longer on the register · serial F8-2018
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Skydiving flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The balloon pilot conducted multiple sport parachute flights throughout the day without obtaining a weather briefing. A SIGMET for severe thunderstorms, hail, and cloud tops to 45,000 feet was in effect for the area surrounding the takeoff and accident sites. Shortly after the balloon lifted off on the accident flight, the ground crew was advised of a severe storm warning for the area and observed the storm on radar via their cellular telephones. The crew contacted the pilot by radio to advise him that the storm was growing quickly. The pilot informed the ground crew that he would attempt to climb over the storm but shortly thereafter expressed doubts that the balloon would be able to rise over it. The ground crew watched the balloon disappear into the clouds but continued to receive altitude and weather updates from the pilot via radio. The pilot described being battered by wind and heavy hail, and the altitude updates came quickly as the balloon climbed in an updraft. Around 12,000 feet, the pilot repeated, "I don't think I'm going to get over this thing." About 17,000 feet, the pilot advised that the balloon was descending and stated, "I got nothing over my head." In his last transmission to the crew, at an altitude of 2,000 feet, the pilot advised that he had the ground in sight. The crew dialed 911 and drove the chase vehicle in the direction where they thought the balloon would land. As they pursued the balloon through the storm, they experienced hard rain and hail "the size of golf balls." All major components of the balloon were recovered and a detailed examination indicated multiple envelope tears, including a few small puncture holes consistent with contact with trees. Several lines of the outer sheath had burned away, but the lines were intact with no evidence of fraying or wear. Video footage taken by parachutists during the balloon's ascent on the accident flight captured audio of the pilot's conversation with the ground crew and provided visual evidence of the developing storm as the balloon entered the base of the clouds. The footage then showed parachutists exit from the basket well after the balloon had entered the clouds and visual contact with the ground had been lost. According to the balloon manufacturer's emergency procedure for weather deterioration during flight, pilots should "land immediately rather than fly into severe atmospheric turmoil…Severe atmospheric forces are capable of taking over and exposing the flight to the hazards of immense envelope stresses and uncontrollable contact with the ground…"
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
What happened, in order
- Windshear or thunderstorm during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
- Loss of control in flight during enroute (climb to cruise)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Convective weather › Hail › Decision related to condition
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Weather planning › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 1,108 hours in all; 9 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 114 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 10, 2011; 8 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: Fitzgerald GA at 10:30 pm
- Destination: Fitzgerald GA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 7 |
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 ERA12LA231.