- Date
- July 3, 1987, 08:00 local (12:00 UTC)
- Place
- Greenville, SC
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N7420UBalloon Works Firefly 8B
- Weather
- Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 8, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870703034229A
- Case key
- 7474
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Balloon dtpted launch site about six miles sw of landing airport for a key grab during a balloon ralley. Wind was about seven KTS according to PIC. Approaching field to land basket was dragged through tree tops to slow balloon. Power line hidden by the trees was struck and separated by basket. Balloon touched down hard which resulted in one pax falling onto 2nd pax breaking her lower leg.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7420U
- Reported as
- Balloon Works Firefly 8B
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- F8B078
- Airframe hours
- 1
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- David L.Woods,Jr.
- Registered owner
- Woods, David L.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Greenville, SC
- Airport
- 7A1 · Donaldson Center
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Flight hours
- 457 total · 7 in this make and model · 25 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Day
- Wind
- 200° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GSP, 12 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.