Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 accident near Kannapolis, North Carolina, June 6, 1987
On June 6, 1987 at about 11:50 am local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 7, registered N1511A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kannapolis, North Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 6, 1987 · about 11:50 am local time · cases in 1987
- Place
- Kannapolis, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 · all FIREFLY 7s on the register
- Registration
- N1511A · registry record · serial F7-017
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE BALLOON PILOT WAS EXECUTING A LANDING APPROACH TO A CLEAR AREA. HE FAILED TO SEE AND AVOID ELECTRICAL POWER LINES ON THE NEAR SIDE OF THE FIELD AS HE MADE HIS APPROACH. THE BALLOON COLLIDED WITH THE POWER LINES AND THE BASKET LANDED HARD. THE BALLOON REMAINED DRAPED OVER THE POWER LINES AFTER THE BASKET CAME TO A STOP. THE PILOT SUSTAINED SERIOUS ELECTRICAL SHOCK INJURIES AND ONE OF THE PASSENGERS WAS ELECTROCUTED.
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: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 121 hours in all; 121 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 93 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 187 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 12, 1987; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,660 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Unknown UNKNOWN (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Kannapolis NC at 11:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 045° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N1511A on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 345 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Balloon Works 565 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Unknown UNKNOWN · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in North Carolina 1,762 since 1982 · 304 in the last ten years
- North Carolina 7,130 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL87LA158.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.