Balloon Works FIREFLY AX-7 accident near Augusta, Michigan, March 12, 1983
On March 12, 1983 at about 11:20 pm local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY AX-7, registered N4057K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Augusta, Michigan. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. 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 12, 1983 · about 11:20 pm local time
- Place
- Augusta, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY AX-7 FIREFLY AX
- Registration
- N4057K · no longer on the register · serial 10114
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE BALLOON MADE A HARD LANDING AND EJECTED THE PILOT AND PASSENGER. THE LANDING WAS MADE IN A SCHOOL PARKING LOT. AFTERDROPPING THE OCCUPANTS THE BALLOON CONTACTED POWER LINES WITH THE ENVELOPE. THE OCCURANTS WERE NOT INJURED.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 124 hours in all; 124 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 115 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 270 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 28, 1982; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: None T3-017 (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Kalamazoo MI
- Destination: Augusta MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:45 pm from AZO, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.