- Date
- June 17, 1985, 20:15 local (Jun 18, 1985, 01:15 UTC)
- Place
- Somonauk, IL
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 3 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N40532Balloon Works Firefly AX-7
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850617026239A
- Case key
- 12876
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 collided with powerlines during takeoff. The wind was reported as 10-15 mph with gusts. The operation was canceled due to the wind after 6 successful launches. The last plt was reportedly pressured to go by his pass'g and a gust of wind blew them into the wires. One person was thrown from the basket during the collision and suffered broken bones in his arms and ribs. The other 3 had jumped as instructed by the plt and escaped injury.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N40532
- Reported as
- Balloon Works Firefly AX-7 (FIREFLY AX)
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 10090
- Airframe hours
- 2,466
- Engine
- None NONE, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ronald W. Pierce
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 25, 1985 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- Somonauk, IL
- Destination
- C48 · Sandwich, IL
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 46
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Flight hours
- 215 total · 215 in this make and model · 199 as pilot in command · 31 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 260° at 11 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ARR, 130 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.