NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ATL87LA226
Registry · N9867P
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
FIREFLY BALLOONS 2010 INC FIREFLY 8
Year of manufacture
2019
Engine
NONE NONE
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20190614
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S ADC4C9
Registrant of record
TREE TOP FLYER BALLOONING LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Factual narrative
THE ENGINE LOST PWR DURING INITIAL CLIMB AT ABOUT 150 FT AGL SHORTLY AFTER THE PLT TURNED THE FUEL BOOST PUMP OFF. A FORCED LDG WAS SUBSEQUENTLY MADE ON A NEARBY INTERSTATE HWY. THE PLT DELAYED THE LDG TO AVOID HITTING AUTOS ON THE HWY AND A HARD LDG RESULTED. THE SUSPECTED CAUSE OF THE PWR LOSS WAS FUEL VAPOR LOCK. THE ENGINE WAS TEST-RUN AFTER THE ACCIDENT AND THAT NO PROBLEMS WERE FOUND. THE AIRPLANE WAS FUELED WITH 87 OCTANE AUTO GAS. THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE WAS ABOUT 90 DEG F. THE ARPT ELEVATION IS 920 FT MSL. THE DENSITY ALTITUDE AT THE ARPT WAS CALCULATED TO BE APPROX 3,200 FT. ACCORDING TO FAA RECORDS, THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT STC'D TO OPERATE ON AUTO GAS. PIPER MANDATORY SERVICE BULLETIN #855 DATED 1-14-87 PROHIBITS THE USE OF AUTO FUEL IN PIPER AIRPLANES. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1987_ATL87LA226.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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