Balloon Works Firefly 7B-15 accident near Port Allen, Louisiana, May 11, 2002
On May 11, 2002 at about 12:45 pm local time, a Balloon Works Firefly 7B-15, registered N25360, was involved in an accident near Port Allen, Louisiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to land in the sugar cane field, which resulted in the pilot's unintentional exit from the basket. A contributing factor was the high vegetation in the field.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 11, 2002 · about 12:45 pm local time
- Place
- Port Allen, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works Firefly 7B-15 · all Firefly 7B-15s on the register
- Registration
- N25360 · no longer on the register · serial F7B-328
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After a routine flight, the pilot elected to land in a sugar cane field. Prior to landing, the pilot pulled the vent line to deflate the balloon. When the basket started to tip over onto its side, it dragged along the ground. The basket of the balloon "got hung up on a cane row for a few seconds" as the envelope continued forward for a few feet, pulling the pilot "up and in front of the basket." Subsequently, the basket "came loose" from the cane row and struck the pilots leg.
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: 269 hours in all; 269 in this make and model
- Last flight review: November 18, 2001
- Medical certificate: None
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 236 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 4, 2002; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 800 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BTR Baton Rouge LA at 11:40 am
- Destination: Port Allen LA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from BTR, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.