19871114076429I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Balwks FIREFLY 8B · Trenton, NJ · November 14, 1987

Date: November 14, 1987 · 08:20 local
Place: Trenton, NJ
Phase of flight: Descent
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N7108Y
Reported as: Balwks FIREFLY8B
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 59 total

N7108YRegistration cancelled Jun 23, 2017 · Balloon Works FIREFLY 8BS/N F8B-112 · Built 1987 Airframe modelBalloon Works FIREFLY 8B 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.

Balloon envelope struck powerlines and melted. Basket lowered to ground. Pilot did not see wires due to sun in eyes

As the FAA filed it

BALLOON ENVELOPE STRUCK POWERLINES AND MELTED. BASKET LOWERED TO GROUND. PILOT DID NOT SEE WIRES DUE TO SUN IN EYES