Balloon Works FIREFLY 6 accident near Fort Madison, Iowa, September 24, 1983
On September 24, 1983 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 6, registered N2023F, was involved in an accident near Fort Madison, Iowa. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 24, 1983 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Madison, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 6 · all FIREFLY 6s on the register
- Registration
- N2023F · registry record · serial 610
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE BALLOON WAS ONE OF 25 BALLOONS PARTICIPATING IN AN EVENT. THE PLTS HAD RECEIVED A COLLECTIVE BRIEFING FROM THE BALLOON MASTER AT 0630 WHO STATED THAT CURRENT WINDS AT NEARBY REPORTING FACILITIES WERE 8-10 KTS. THE 0600 OBSERVATION AT BURLINGTON, IA, LOCATED 25 NM NE OF THE TAKEOFF SITE, WAS 170 DEG AT 11 KTS. BY 0700 THE WINDS WERE 160 DEG AT 14 KTS, GUSTING TO 23 KTS. THE FLT DEPARTED AT 0845. THE PLT REPORTED THAT DURING FLT THE WINDS BECAME STRONGER & GUSTIER. DURING THE LANDING IN AN OPEN FIELD THE BASKET TIPPED OVER & THE PLT FELL AGAINST A FUEL TANK BREAKING HIS LEG. THE PLT LATER RECOMMENDED THAT FUEL TANKS SHOULD BE PADDED.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 53 hours in all; 53 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 46 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 149 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 27, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Keokuk IA at 1:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MKC83LA228.