# Incident 19960616038549I: Balwks FIREFLY7, Wilsonville, OR, June 16, 1996

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 16, 1996, 08:15 local time
- Place: Wilsonville, OR
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 45.3113° N, 122.7709° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Wilsonville, OR, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=45.3113&lon=-122.7709&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7408H, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N7408H-2019-11-29) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Balloon Works FIREFLY AX-7 (registry code 1050102, https://openairdocs.org/model/balloon-works-firefly-ax-7) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BALWKS FIREFLY7
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 320 total, 320 in this make and model, 20 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960616038549I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

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.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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