Balloon Works FIREFLY 8 accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma, August 6, 2000
On August 6, 2000 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 8, registered N9091R, suffered minor damage in an accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 4 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The passenger's failure to comply with the briefing administered by the pilot. Factors were the passenger's physical impairment due to an injury sustained during the initial ground impact and the high wind condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 2000 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 4 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 8 · all FIREFLY 8s on the register
- Registration
- N9091R · registry record · serial F8-353
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot briefed the passengers to expect a rough landing due to surface winds of to 8-10 knots. During the approach, the pilot intentionally 'touched the top of trees with the basket to slow the descent.' The pilot reported that during the descent he briefed the passengers three times to bend their knees, face forward, and hold on. The balloon initially contacted the ground hard and bounced back into the air. During the second ground impact, a passenger was ejected from the basket, and subsequently, the balloon basket 'rolled over him.' The passenger reported that 'he felt pain the first time the basket hit [and] let go.'
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: 207 hours in all; 29 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 207 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 310 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 11, 2000; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE OK at 1:15 pm
- Destination: NONE Catoosa OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 3 |
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 FTW00LA224.