- Date
- February 19, 1982, 10:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Phoenix, AZ
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1527FBalloon Works Firefly
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 19, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820219002249A
- Case key
- 72212
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 pilot was landing in a vacant lot when the light and variable wind shifted and started blowing the balloon toward powerlines. Just prior to the wind shift, the balloon was descending rapidly. Rather than make a hard landing, the pilot tried to "burn" his way out, but was unable to climb fast enough to miss the wires. After contacting the wires, the suspension cables from the basket to the envelope were burned in two. The basket and occupants fell about 14 ft to the ground. Also, a powerline was severed by arcing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1527F
- Reported as
- Balloon Works Firefly
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 11041
- Airframe hours
- 38
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- C. G. Catallo
- Registered owner
- C. G. Catallo
- Departed
- Phoenix, AZ
- Destination
- Phoenix, AZ
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
- 41
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 101 total · 101 in this make and model · 85 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Temperature
- 149 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.