Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 accident near Geneva, Illinois, June 24, 1984
On June 24, 1984 at about 1:00 am local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 7, registered N1537D, suffered minor damage in an accident near Geneva, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. 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 24, 1984 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Geneva, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 · all FIREFLY 7s on the register
- Registration
- N1537D · no longer on the register · serial 10182
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE BALLOON DESCENDED IN AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS AND TURBULENCE AND COLLIDED WITH TREES. THE PLT SAID THE BALLOON 'CAVED IN' AND DESCENDED RAPIDLY. THE PLTS HUSBAND AND A PASSENGER REVEALED THAT THE BALLOON WAS 'VENTED' BY THE PLT TO LAND BEFORE REACHING A POWER STATION AFTER BEING 'SUCKED' UP TOWARD A CLOUD. TWO OF THE 16 BALLOONIST ABORTED THE FLT BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER. THE ACCIDENT PLT SAW CLOUD BUILDUPS BEFORE DEPARTURE BUT WAS INFORMED THEY WERE DISSAPATING.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 135 hours in all; 50 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 170 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 18, 1984; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: None (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Geneva IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:08 am from DPA, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.