Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 accident near Owensboro, Kentucky, July 3, 1985
On July 3, 1985, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 7, registered N1534C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Owensboro, Kentucky (Unknown airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt. 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
- July 3, 1985
- Place
- Owensboro, Kentucky · Unknown · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 · all FIREFLY 7s on the register
- Registration
- N1534C · no longer on the register · serial 10208
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PILOT LAUNCHED BALLOON FROM COLLEGE CAMPUS WITH TWO PAX. FLEW FOR 35 MINUTES. DURING FLIGHT HE RADIOED GROUND CREW WHICH WAS AT LANDING SITE. DURING DESCENT PILOT SAW UTILITY WIRES PREVIOUSLY UNNOTICED. PARACHUTE WAS VENTD TO INCREASE DESCENT RATE AND AVOID WIRES. BALLOON LANDED HARD AND BOUNCED INTO WIRES. ELECTRICAL ARCING SEVERED BASKET CABLES DROPPING BASKET 20 FEET TO GROUND.
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: 208 hours in all; 208 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 191 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 195 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 1, 1985; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,660 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots, gusting 8
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 7:40 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N1534C the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.