Balloon Works FIREFLY 8-24 accident near Brandon, Florida, November 4, 1986
On November 4, 1986 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 8-24, registered N37171, was involved in an accident near Brandon, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured; 2 others were 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
- November 4, 1986 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Brandon, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 8-24 FIREFLY 8- · all FIREFLY 8-24s on the register
- Registration
- N37171 · no longer on the register · serial F8-070
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A HIGH SINK RATE WAS NOT ARRESTED PRIOR TO THE HARD LDG. THE PLT STATED THAT HE BRIEFED THE PAX ON LDG PROCEDURES WHICH INCLUDED A TIGHT GRIP IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERG LDG. THE PAX STATEMENTS DIFFERED FROM THOSE OF THE BALLOON CREW CONCERNING THE CONTENT OF THE PRE FLT BRIEFING.
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: 61 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 48 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 81 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 20, 1985; 81 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:51 pm from TPA, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 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.