Firefly 11B accident near Yountville, California, February 25, 2003
On February 25, 2003 at about 3:55 pm local time, a Firefly 11B (balloon), registered N1501H, was involved in an accident near Yountville, California. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A bystander was impaired by drugs and did not follow the pilot's directive to release the balloon as it began its ascent.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 25, 2003 · about 3:55 pm local time
- Place
- Yountville, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Firefly 11B
- Registration
- N1501H · no longer on the register · serial B112001
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A bystander sustained fatal injuries after falling from a balloon. Although the scheduled flight had been canceled, the pilot was going to lift the balloon several hundred feet into the air so that the passengers could take a picture of the balloon in flight. As the balloon was being repositioned by five members of a ground crew, two bystanders grabbed onto the basket and it ascended more than the pilot had planned. She called to everyone to release. The five crew members and one bystander released; however, one bystander continued holding onto the balloon. During the ascent, the pilot realized the bystander was hanging on and told him to hang on while she descended. However, the bystander was unable to hold on and fell to his death. Tetrahydrocannabinol (marijuana) levels in the bystander suggested use within the hour and significant impairment.
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: 2,425 hours in all; 9 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 2,430 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 12, 2002
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 33 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 23, 2002; 10.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,182 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Yountville CA at 3:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 800 ft; clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.80 inHg
- Observation at 3:54 pm from APC, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.