19960616038549I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Balwks FIREFLY7 · Wilsonville, OR · June 16, 1996

Date: June 16, 1996 · 08:15 local
Place: Wilsonville, OR
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N7408H
Reported as: Balwks FIREFLY7
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 320 total320 in this make and model20 in the last 90 days

N7408HRegistration cancelled Nov 29, 2019 · Balloon Works FIREFLY AX-7S/N F7-297 · Built 1986 Airframe modelBalloon Works FIREFLY AX-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.

Narrative: while attempting to land, aircraft was caught by gust of wind and blown into a tree. A large branch penetrated the skirt near the bottom. After about two minutes, the wind subsided and the PIC was able to burn and free balloon from the tree. PIC then landed without further incident. Investigation revealed four panels below equator slightly damaged. Incident occurred during a scheduled event and winds were gusting 15-20 knots at the completion around 0800L.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LAND, AIRCRAFT WAS CAUGHT BY GUST OF WIND AND BLOWN INTO A TREE. A LARGE BRANCH PENETRATED THE SKIRT NEAR THE BOTTOM. AFTER ABOUT TWO MINUTES, THE WIND SUBSIDED AND THE PIC WAS ABLE TO BURN AND FREE BALLOON FROM THE TREE. PIC THEN LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. INVESTIGATION REVEALED FOUR PANELS BELOW EQUATOR SLIGHTLY DAMAGED. INCIDENT OCCURRED DURING A SCHEDULED EVENT AND WINDS WERE GUSTING 15-20 KNOTS AT THE COMPLETION AROUND 0800L.