- Date
- June 23, 1984, 20:00 local (Jun 24, 1984, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Geneva, IL
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Uncontrolled descent
- Aircraft
- N1537DBalloon Works Firefly 7
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840623026129A
- Case key
- 12668
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
The balloon descended in an area of thunderstorms and turbulence and collided with trees. The plt said the balloon 'caved in' and descended rapidly. The plts husband and a passenger revealed that the balloon was 'vented' by the plt to land before reaching a power station after being 'sucked' up toward a cloud. Two of the 16 balloonist aborted the flt because of the weather. The accident plt saw cloud buildups before departure but was informed they were dissapating.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1537D
- Reported as
- Balloon Works Firefly 7
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 10182
- Airframe hours
- 170
- Engine
- None, unknown
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Barbara G. Hackleman
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 18, 1984 · 6 hours before
- Departed
- Geneva, IL
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
- Age
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Flight hours
- 135 total · 50 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft broken
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DPA, 5 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.