- Date
- March 5, 1987, 07:15 local (13:15 UTC)
- Place
- Broken Arrow, OK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Uncontrolled descent
- Aircraft
- N15253Balloon Works Firefly 7-B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 21, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870305004619A
- Case key
- 22336
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.
In flight collision with object
Object - wire,transmissionFactor
Visual lookout - not maintainedCause
Diverted attentionFactor
Judgment - poorFactor
Analysis
The balloon drifted into power lines just after liftoff. The pilot stated he was hooking up a new temperature gauge and did not notice that the balloon was descending.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N15253
- Reported as
- Balloon Works Firefly 7-B (FIREFLY 7-)
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 10330
- Airframe hours
- 244
- Engine
- None NONE, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Edgar Allen Ford
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 15, 1987
N15253Registration cancelled Aug 14, 1989 · Balloon Works FIREFLY 7-BAirframe modelBalloon Works FIREFLY 7-B
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
- 60
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Unknown
- Flight hours
- 201 total · 201 in this make and model · 183 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F
- Observed at
- TUL
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.