Balloon Works FIREFLY 6 accident near Kansas City, Missouri, April 5, 1987
On April 5, 1987, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 6, registered N3695B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kansas City, Missouri. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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
- April 5, 1987
- Place
- Kansas City, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 6 · all FIREFLY 6s on the register
- Registration
- N3695B · no longer on the register · serial F6-003
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT LIFT-OFF AND CLIMBOUT WERE NORMAL BUT, SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE FUEL PILOT LIGHT BEGAN TO FAIL CONTINUOUSLY UNTIL THE BURNER FLAMED OUT. THE PASSENGERS WERE BRIEFED AND THE CHASE VEHICLE WAS CONTACTED BY CB RADIO BEFORE THE PLT CLIMBED UP ON THE SIDE OF THE BASKET IN AN UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT TO RE-IGNITE THE FUEL BURNER'S PILOT LIGHT. PASSENGERS STATED THAT THE PLT ORDERED THEM TO LAY ON THE FLOOR OF THE BASKET PRIOR TO IMPACT AS SHE TRIED TO ARREST THE BALLOON'S DESCENT WITH THE EMERGENCY BURNER. THE BALLOON LANDED HARD IN AN OPEN FIELD, BOUNCED, THEN SLID ON THE TURF FOR APPROX 150 FEET BEFORE SNAGGING A BARBED WIRE FENCE. A POST-CRASH FIRE ERUPTED WHEN THE BALLOON,S ENVELOPE DRAPED ACROSS POWERLINES. THE PIC STATED THAT THE EMERGENCY PROCEDURES WERE HANDLED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AIRCRAFT'S FLIGHT MANUAL.
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: 62 hours in all; 62 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 41 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 21, 1986; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Unknown UNKNOWN (type not recorded); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Kansas City MO at 11:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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 MKC87FA067.