- Date
- July 18, 1988, 19:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Saltsburg, PA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1534WBalloon Works Firefly 7
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 29, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880718027149A
- Case key
- 36188
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 plt launched on a local balloon sight-seeing flight at 1850 local time with the forecast of thunderstorm activity to commence in the area after midnight. After 40 mins of smooth flt, the temp dropped sharply and shortly thereafter turbulence was encountered which began to tear panels in the envelope, resulting in an uncontrolled descent into trees. Weather conditions were similar to those encountered during a frontal passage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1534W
- Reported as
- Balloon Works Firefly 7
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 10209
- Airframe hours
- 272
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Roy R. Weil/Mary M. Shaw
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 4, 1988 · 21 hours before
- Departed
- Murryville, PA
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 885 total · 270 in this make and model · 818 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.