19850317007839A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Balwks FIREFLY 7 · Arlington, TX · March 17, 1985

Date: March 17, 1985 · 17:03 local
Place: Arlington, TX
Phase of flight: Takeoff Ground Roll
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N4065D
NTSB investigation: NTSBFTW85LA153
Reported as: Balwks FIREFLY7
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 0 in this make and model0 in the last 90 days

N4065DRegistration cancelled Aug 14, 1990 · Balloon Works FIREFLY 7S/N 10008 Airframe modelBalloon Works FIREFLY 7

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.

Deflation started after fake lift due to gust but drift continued into powerlines. Basket separated.

As the FAA filed it

DEFLATION STARTED AFTER FAKE LIFT DUE TO GUST BUT DRIFT CONTINUED INTO POWERLINES. BASKET SEPARATED.

NTSB investigation

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

NTSB FTW85LA153Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportArlington, TXAccording to the passenger, a gust of wind caused the Balloon to become airborne prematurely and drift toward pwr lines. Aprx 25 ft from the wires the plt attempted to abort the takeoff by deflating the envelope. Just prior to wire contact the passenger…Mar 17, 1985 · Destroyed