19850717036379A

Accident

FAA accident report · Balwks FIREFLY 7 · Gorham, ME · July 17, 1985

Date: July 17, 1985 · 19:00 local
Place: Gorham, ME
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Aircraft: N15314
NTSB investigation: NTSBNYC85FNC05
Reported as: Balwks FIREFLY7
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 107 total7 in this make and model7 in the last 90 days

N15314Registration cancelled Jul 8, 2013 · Balloon Works FIREFLY 7S/N 10163 · Built 1980 Airframe modelBalloon Works FIREFLY 7 Engine modelNONENone

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.

The basket of the balloon tipped forward during landing. Pilots leg was broken when passengers fell on top of her.

As the FAA filed it

THE BASKET OF THE BALLOON TIPPED FORWARD DURING LANDING. PILOTS LEG WAS BROKEN WHEN PASSENGERS FELL ON TOP OF HER.

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 NYC85FNC05Accident · Serious injuriesFinal reportGorham, METhe pilot took off with three passengers in a hot air balloon. There was an unforecast wind change with an increase in velocity. This change in wind direction and velocity precluded the ability to make a landing and keep the basket upright. When the basket…Jul 17, 1985 · No damage