# Accident 19800930067159A: Balwks FIREFLY7, Rock Island, IL, September 30, 1980

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 30, 1980, 10:00 local time
- Place: Rock Island, IL
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.4694° N, 90.5853° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Rock Island, IL, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.4694&lon=-90.5853&mi=10
- Aircraft: N1532B, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1532B-1989-06-08) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 (registry code 1050100, https://openairdocs.org/model/balloon-works-firefly-7) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BALWKS FIREFLY7
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 151 total, 76 in this make and model, 54 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI80DEE57](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI80DEE57) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19800930067159A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

HOT AIR BALLOON WAS RELEASED BEFORE PILOT WAS READY. BALLOON HIT TOWER WHICH TORE FABRIC AND STOPPED ASCENT.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CHI80DEE57](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI80DEE57), Sep 30, 1980: BLN Works FF-7 (N1532B), Rock Island, IL, substantial damage

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.