Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 accident near Richmond, Virginia, September 7, 1987
On September 7, 1987 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 7, registered N37526, suffered minor damage in an accident near Richmond, Virginia. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
- September 7, 1987 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Richmond, Virginia · 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
- N37526 · no longer on the register · serial F7-137
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE BALLOON WAS 10TH TO TAKEOFF IN A HOUND-&-HARE COMPETITION. DRG FLT, THE PLT NOTICED THE WIND HAD PICKED UP & THAT THE BALLOON WAS DRIFTING TOWARDS RICHMOND. HE DECIDED TO LAND IN A CEMETERY & BRIEFED THE PASSENGERS THAT THE BALLOON WOULD TOUCH DOWN HARD & MOST LIKELY BE DRAGGED. DRG THE LANDING, ONE OF THE PASSENGERS SUSTAINED A BROKEN ANKLE. THE BALLOON DRIFTED INTO A FENCE & A POWER LINE & RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGE.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 350 hours in all; 250 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 250 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 15, 1987; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,660 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 18,000 ft; scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:00 pm from RIC
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.