Balloon Works FIRE FLY 8-24 accident near Phoenix, Arizona, March 24, 1984
On March 24, 1984 at about 1:30 am local time, a Balloon Works FIRE FLY 8-24, registered N36104, suffered minor damage in an accident near Phoenix, Arizona. It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 24, 1984 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Phoenix, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIRE FLY 8-24 FIRE FLY 8
- Registration
- N36104 · no longer on the register · serial F8-006
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT TOOK OFF ON A SIGHT-SEEING BALLOON FLT WITH 5 PASSENGERS WHOSE AGES WERE REPORTEDLY FROM 65 TO 83 YRS OLD. ABOUT 1 HR & 15 MINS LATER, HE LANDED ON DESERT TERRAIN IN WINDS THAT HE ESTIMATED WERE APRX 10 KTS GUSTING TO 15 KTS. DURING TOUCHDOWN, THE BASKET DESCEND INTO VEGETATION & TIPPED OVER ONTO ITS SIDE. THE PLT HAD INSTRUCTED THE PASSENGERS TO MOVE TO THE BACK OF THE BASKET, BRACE THEMSELVES & TO SQUAT DOWN JUST PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN. HOWEVER, SEVERAL PASSENGERS STOOD UP & EXTENDED THEIR ARMS UPWARD TO BRACE THEMSELVES. WHEN THE BASKET TIPPED OVER, 1 OF THE PASSENGER'S ARMS WAS CAUGHT BENEATH IT. SEVERAL OTHER PASSENGERS FELL ON TOP OF THE OTHERS. ONE OF THE PASSENGERS SUFFERED A BROKEN WRIST; ANOTHER SUFFERED 3 BROKEN RIBS. THE SERIOUSLY INJURED PASSENGERS WERE 70 & 83 YRS OF AGE.
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, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 1,986 hours in all; 18 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 1,829 as pilot in command; 83 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 123 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 3, 1983; 23 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Glendale AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 3 |
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.