Head Balloons, Inc. AX7-77 accident near Austell, Georgia, September 1, 1984
On September 1, 1984 at about 11:50 pm local time, a Head Balloons, Inc. AX7-77, registered N2484S, was destroyed in an accident near Austell, Georgia. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people had minor injuries. 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
- September 1, 1984 · about 11:50 pm local time
- Place
- Austell, Georgia
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Head Balloons, Inc. AX7-77
- Registration
- N2484S · no longer on the register · serial 103
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE FLYING AT A LOW ALT LOOKING FOR A SUITABLE LANDING AREA THE PLT NOTICED POWER LINES AT A HIGHER ALT. PLT INITIALLYAPPLIED HEAT TO THE ENVELOPE TO TRY AND CLIMB ABOVE THE WIRES, BUT DID NOT IMMEDIATELY REALIZE THE HEIGHT OF THE WIRES. PLT THEN ADVISED PAX SHE WOULD HAVE TO 'DUMP IT' AND BEGAN TO PULL THE CORD TO OPEN THE ENVELOPE DEFLATION VALVE IN ORDER TO LAND SHORT OF THE WIRES. ONE OF THE PAX, WITHOUT OBTAINING PERMISSION FROM THE PLT, REPORTEDLY USED THE BURNER TO ADD HEAT TO THE ENVELOPE AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME. THE BASKET UPRIGHTS AND THE CABLES IMMEDIATELY ABOVE THE BASKET CONTACTED THE WIRES AT AN ALT OF APRX 40 FT AGL.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 340 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 275 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 74 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 5, 1984; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Atlanta GA at 10:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 105° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.