N3181A is not currently registered. It was last assigned to a Balloon Works FIREFLY 8. The FAA cancelled the registration on January 3, 2018. The last status on file was "registration expired, pending cancellation". The number has been on and off the register 2 times.
Balloon Works FIREFLY 8 cancelled January 3, 2018
- Serial number
- F8-413
- Type
- Balloon · None
- Year built
- —
- Last status
- Registration expired, pending cancellation
- Certificate issued
- July 25, 2007
- Last FAA action
- October 11, 2011
- Last owner
- Diamondjake Ballooning DBA (Co-owned)
Newton, IA - Airworthiness
- Standard · Balloon
Cessna 402C cancelled February 27, 1992
- Serial number
- 402C0288
- Type
- Fixed-wing, multi-engine · Piston (reciprocating)
- Year built
- —
- Last status
- Valid registration
- Exported to
- South Africa
- Certificate issued
- January 17, 1992
- Last FAA action
- January 27, 1992
- Last owner
- Weaver Aero International INC (Corporation)
Hesston, KS - Airworthiness
- None on file
NTSB accident and incident record under N3181A
Aircraft on the NTSB record: Balloon Works FIREFLY 8 · serial F8-413
The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the balloon’s descent during the landing, which resulted in the balloon having a hard landing in a ditch and causing a passenger to be seriously injured.
A tail number passes between aircraft over the years; match the serial number on the NTSB record against the airframe above. Source: NTSB aviation accident database, records through September 30, 2026.
Source: FAA Civil Aviation Registry, Releasable Aircraft Database, October 2, 2026. See this number on the FAA site