Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 accident near Colorado Spgs, Colorado, September 2, 1995
On September 2, 1995 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 7, registered N90555, was involved in an accident near Colorado Spgs, Colorado. 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
AN ENCOUNTER WITH A WIND SHIFT DURING LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 2, 1995 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Colorado Spgs, Colorado
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 · all FIREFLY 7s on the register
- Registration
- N90555 · registry record · serial F7-624
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE FINAL STAGE OF LANDING, THE BALLOON ENCOUNTERED A WIND SHIFT AND THE LANDING WAS HARD. THE BASKET REMAINED UPRIGHT, BUT FOLLOWING THE LANDING THE PASSENGER INFORMED THE PILOT HE HAD BROKEN HIS ANKLE. THE BALLOON WAS NOT DAMAGED.
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
- Ratings: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 354 hours in all; 342 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 343 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 341 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 30, 1995; 40 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: COS at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 pm from COS
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.