19801008056939A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Balwks FIREFLY 7 · Albuquerque, NM · October 8, 1980

Date
October 8, 1980 · 08:30 local
Place
Albuquerque, NM
Phase of flight
Unauth Low Level Opns
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N115JB
NTSB investigation
NTSBFTW81FQA03
Reported as
Balwks FIREFLY7
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
623 total323 in this make and model45 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Dropped balloon down below obstructions to check drift. Failed to timely heat balloon to miss power line.

As the FAA filed it

DROPPED BALLOON DOWN BELOW OBSTRUCTIONS TO CHECK DRIFT. FAILED TO TIMELY HEAT BALLOON TO MISS POWER LINE.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.