Balloon Works FIREFLY II accident near Phoenix, Arizona, August 11, 2000
On August 11, 2000 at about 1:25 pm local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY II, registered N7244X, was involved in an accident near Phoenix, Arizona. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 8 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to use pibals or other on site wind determination devices, and his subsequent failure to detect adverse wind conditions prior to launch of the balloon.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 11, 2000 · about 1:25 pm local time
- Place
- Phoenix, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 8 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY II
- Registration
- N7244X · no longer on the register · serial 11008-3-S
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On a for-hire sightseeing flight, the balloon encountered unusual wind conditions and collided with the ground after the envelope partially collapsed. One passenger sustained a fractured ankle in the hard landing. The pilot said that a preflight weather briefing contained no flight precautions for the proposed flight area. The launch site is in a flood control basin near a dam and surrounded by hills. Following launch, the pilot contoured a hill and, as the balloon neared the top, it encountered a wind shear the pilot described as a direction change of 70 degrees with a speed of 10 to 12 knots. The pilot said that on the lee side of the hill, he encountered a downdraft followed immediately by an updraft. The pilot said he believed he encountered a wind rotor. The rapid changes in air mass movement distorted the balloon envelope and resulted in spilling some of the heated air. The balloon then entered a rapid descent the pilot was unable to arrest with three burners going and collided with the ground. The METAR for an airport 4 miles away at the time of the accident was reporting winds from 100 degrees at 8 knots. The pilot did not use pibals or other on sight wind quantification devices prior to launch.
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: single-engine land; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 3,415 hours in all; 375 in this make and model; 85 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 199 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 14, 2000; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,940 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hot Air Expeditions
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 199°F (93°C), dew point 147°F (64°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from DVT, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 | 7 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N7244X the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.