Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B accident near Greenville, South Carolina, July 3, 1987
On July 3, 1987 at about 12:00 pm local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B, registered N7420U, suffered minor damage in an accident near Greenville, South Carolina (Donaldson Center airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 3 others were unhurt. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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, 1987 · about 12:00 pm local time
- Place
- Greenville, South Carolina · Donaldson Center
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 3 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B · all FIREFLY 8Bs on the register
- Registration
- N7420U · no longer on the register · serial F8B078
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
BALLOON DTPTED LAUNCH SITE ABOUT SIX MILES SW OF LANDING AIRPORT FOR A KEY GRAB DURING A BALLOON RALLEY. WIND WAS ABOUT SEVEN KTS ACCORDING TO PIC. APPROACHING FIELD TO LAND BASKET WAS DRAGGED THROUGH TREE TOPS TO SLOW BALLOON. POWER LINE HIDDEN BY THE TREES WAS STRUCK AND SEPARATED BY BASKET. BALLOON TOUCHED DOWN HARD WHICH RESULTED IN ONE PAX FALLING ONTO 2ND PAX BREAKING HER LOWER LEG.
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: 457 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,020 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Greenville SC at 11:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:00 pm from GSP, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.