Balloon Works FIREFLY 8 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, August 1, 1985
On August 1, 1985 at about 7:05 am local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 8, registered N7404X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 1, 1985 · about 7:05 am local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 8 · all FIREFLY 8s on the register
- Registration
- N7404X · no longer on the register · serial F8B-007
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE THE PLT WAS APPROACHING A FIELD TO LAND, THE WIND SHIFTED & GUSTED, BLOWING THE BALLOON TOWARD A LIGHT STANDARD. THE ENVELOPE GRAZED THE STANDARD, RIPPING THE MATERIAL NEAR THE TOP OF THE BALLOON. THE BALLOON THEN LANDED IN THE FIELD. THE WIND WAS REPORTED TO BE FROM 300 DEG AT 3 GUSTING 10 KTS.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 306 hours in all; 306 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 306 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 465 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 6, 1984; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,195 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: None BURNER 671 (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 3 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.