19880718027149A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Balwks FIREFLY 7 · Saltsburg, PA · July 18, 1988

Date
July 18, 1988 · 19:30 local
Place
Saltsburg, PA
Phase of flight
Descent
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N1534W
NTSB investigation
NTSBNYC88LA189
Reported as
Balwks FIREFLY7
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
885 total270 in this make and model30 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.

Unforecast wind and turbulence caused balloon panels to rip off and an uncontrolled descent into trees.

As the FAA filed it

UNFORECAST WIND AND TURBULENCE CAUSED BALLOON PANELS TO RIP OFF AND AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT INTO TREES.

NTSB investigation

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