Balloon Works FIREFLY 8-24 accident near Poway, California, November 26, 1990
On November 26, 1990, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 8-24, registered N7113U, suffered minor damage in an accident near Poway, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 4 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO OBTAIN A PROPER TOUCHDOWN POINT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WHICH RELATED TO THE BASKET'S TIPPING OVER WERE THE PILOT'S MISJUDGING THE WIND DIRECTION AND THE WIND'S RELATIVE HIGH SPEED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 26, 1990
- Place
- Poway, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 4 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 8-24 FIREFLY 8- · all FIREFLY 8-24s on the register
- Registration
- N7113U · no longer on the register · serial F8-114
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT AND FIVE REVENUE PASSENGERS DEPARTED FOR A LOCAL FLIGHT. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, DURING THE FLIGHT THE WIND DIRECTION AND SPEED CHANGED. THE PILOT MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS AT LANDING. A DIRT FIELD WAS LOCATED AND THE BALLOON TOUCHED DOWN. IT THEN DRIFTED INTO A TWO FOOT TALL EMBANKMENT AND TIPPED OVER.
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: 365 hours in all; 365 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 348 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Ama/Expr UNK (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Del Mar CA at 10:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 7 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,000 ft; scat at 2,200 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 4:25 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 | 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.