Barnes AX-7B accident near Lake Orion, Michigan, June 16, 1984
On June 16, 1984, a Barnes AX-7B (balloon), registered N37643, was involved in an accident near Lake Orion, Michigan. 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
- June 16, 1984
- Place
- Lake Orion, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Barnes AX-7B
- Registration
- N37643 · no longer on the register · serial F7B-099
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A 74 YEAR OLD PASSENGER IN A BALLOON LOST HER FOOTING DURING LANDING AND FELL ON HER ARM. LATER EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT HER ARM WAS BROKEN. THE PLT AND ANOTHER PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED. THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE PASSENGERS HAD BEEN BRIEFED ON LANDING AND HOW TO PREPARE THEMSELVES FOR THE EVENT.
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: 497 hours in all; 497 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 5, 1984; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 600 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: None NONE (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Lake Orion MI at 11:20 pm
- Destination: Lake Orion MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°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.
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.