Firefly Balloon, Inc. Firefly 11 accident near Saint Helena, California, April 13, 2005
On April 13, 2005 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Firefly Balloon, Inc. Firefly 11, registered N15001, was involved in an accident near Saint Helena, California. It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 8 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's encounter with wind shear during landing, which resulted in a hard touchdown.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 13, 2005 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Saint Helena, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 8 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Firefly Balloon, Inc. Firefly 11
- Registration
- N15001 · registry record · serial F11-2001
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The balloon touched down hard at the conclusion of a sightseeing flight seriously injuring one of the eight fare-paying passengers. The pilot indicated that upon entering a wider area of the Napa Valley the winds aloft should have slowed, but they did not. Therefore, he decided to land as soon as possible, having the belief that the wind speed might increase if he continued the flight. During the descent to an open field, the balloon drifted over a row of estimated 30- to 40-foot-tall trees, and the wind speed suddenly increased to between 10 and 12 miles per hour. The pilot advised the passengers to prepare for a possible hard touchdown, and during the final seconds of the flight, he used both burners at maximum power to slow the descent rate. However, a windshear was encountered, and the balloon abruptly descended.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: glider; rotorcraft: balloon; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all; 340 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 7,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 169 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2004; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,940 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Calistoga CA at 2:00 pm
- Destination: Saint Helena CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from STS, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.
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.