Summary
On April 19, 2014, a Firefly 8B-15 (N15095) was involved in an accident near Security, CO. The accident resulted in 1 serious injury, with 1 person uninjured out of 2 aboard.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: An unexpected increase in wind velocity which resulted in a hard landing and the subsequent passenger injury.
The pilot reported the wind was from the north-northwest at 6 knots when they departed and the balloon traveled to the southeast as expected. When they descended to land the wind velocity increased to 20 plus knots and the wind changed 90 degrees in direction moving them to the west. The pilot attempted to land twice and aborted both landings due to the wind and terrain conditions. The pilot briefed the passenger, who was very familiar with balloon operations, that they were going to make a high wind landing. The passenger stated he crouched down in the basket for the landing and as the triangular basket touched down and turned to its flat side, he felt his ankle roll. The basket lay down and once the balloon stopped they crawled out of the basket.
This accident is documented in NTSB report CEN14CA215. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N15095.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
An unexpected increase in wind velocity which resulted in a hard landing and the subsequent passenger injury.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
The pilot reported the wind was from the north-northwest at 6 knots when they departed and the balloon traveled to the southeast as expected. When they descended to land the wind velocity increased to 20 plus knots and the wind changed 90 degrees in direction moving them to the west. The pilot attempted to land twice and aborted both landings due to the wind and terrain conditions. The pilot briefed the passenger, who was very familiar with balloon operations, that they were going to make a high wind landing. The passenger stated he crouched down in the basket for the landing and as the triangular basket touched down and turned to its flat side, he felt his ankle roll. The basket lay down and once the balloon stopped they crawled out of the basket. The passenger stated he knew he injured his ankle and a couple days later he was diagnosed with a fractured tibia.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CEN14CA215