Eagle Balloons C-7 accident near Montvale, Virginia, March 22, 1987
On March 22, 1987 at about 2:05 pm local time, a Eagle Balloons C-7, registered N60765, suffered minor damage in an accident near Montvale, Virginia. 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
- March 22, 1987 · about 2:05 pm local time
- Place
- Montvale, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eagle Balloons C-7
- Registration
- N60765 · no longer on the register · serial E83746
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE BALLOON PLT SELECTED A DOWNSLOPING FIELD WITH POWERLINES AT THE APCH END AND WOODS AT THE UPWIND END IN WHICH TO LAND. ON TOUCHDOWN, THE BASKET TIPPED OVER AND THE PLT WAS PULLED FROM THE BASKET BY HIS GRIP ON THE CROWN VALVE LINE. THE BALLOON BEGAN TO ASCEND WITH TWO PASSENGERS IN THE BASKET. THE TWO PASSENGERS JUMPED TO THE GROUND FROM AN ALT ALT 5-10 FT AGL. ONE PASSENGER SUFFERED A FRACTURED PELVIC BONE DURING THE FALL. THE BALLOON THEN TRAVELED APRX 3/4 OF A MILE BEFORE CONTACTING TREES.
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: 101 hours in all; 101 in this make and model; 77 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 90 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 6, 1986; 7 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
- Operator: Above The Rest, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Fincastle VA at 12:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds; scat
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 31.00 inHg
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.
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.