19830702075459A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Balwks FIREFLY 7 · Ellsworth, KS · July 2, 1983

Date
July 2, 1983 · 07:05 local
Place
Ellsworth, KS
Phase of flight
To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N1531N
NTSB investigation
NTSBMKC83LA140
Reported as
Balwks FIREFLY7
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
405 total0 in this make and model7 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.

Balloon drifted into radio tower after liftoff. Impact ruptured balloon and knocked top of tower off.

As the FAA filed it

BALLOON DRIFTED INTO RADIO TOWER AFTER LIFTOFF. IMPACT RUPTURED BALLOON AND KNOCKED TOP OF TOWER OFF.

NTSB investigation

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