Balloon Works FIREFLY 6B and Cameron V-77 mid-air collision near Battle Creek, Michigan, July 16, 1985
On July 16, 1985 at about 11:50 pm local time, 2 aircraft, Balloon Works FIREFLY 6B (N1533S) and Cameron V-77 (IFROG), were involved in a mid-air collision near Battle Creek, Michigan. 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 1985 · about 11:50 pm local time · cases in 1985
- Place
- Battle Creek, Michigan
- Type
- Accident · mid-air collision
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft 1
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 6B · all FIREFLY 6Bs on the register
- Registration
- N1533S · registry record · serial 10216
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
- Aircraft 2
- Cameron V-77
- Registration
- IFROG · registered outside the United States · serial 848
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative for the Balloon Works FIREFLY 6B final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ENVELOPE OF BALLOON N1533S WAS PENETRATED AND TORN BY THE BASKET OF BALLOON I-FROG. THE ENVELOPE WAS DAMAGED TO THE DEGREE THAT ALTITUDE COULD NOT BE SUSTAINED. THE AERONQUT OF N1533S WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED UPON GROUND IMPACT. I-FROG WAS LANDED WITHOUT DAMAGE OR INJURY.
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 NTSB's narrative for the Cameron V-77 final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ENVELOPE OF BALLOON N1533S WAS PENETRATED AND TORN BY THE BASKET OF BALLOON I-FROG. THE ENVELOPE WAS DAMAGED TO THE DEGREE THAT ALTITUDE COULD NOT BE SUSTAINED. THE AERONQUT OF N1533S WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED UPON GROUND IMPACT. I-FROG WAS LANDED WITHOUT DAMAGE OR INJURY.
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 for the Balloon Works FIREFLY 6B from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 402 hours in all; 402 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 392 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 180 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 6, 1984; 24 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: None NONE (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
The factual record for the Cameron V-77 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 637 hours in all; 481 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 120 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 17, 1985; 25 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: None NONE (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N1533S on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 6 18 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Balloon Works 565 aircraft on the register
- Engine: None NONE · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: None NONE · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Michigan 2,107 since 1982 · 230 in the last ten years
- Michigan 7,226 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI85LA291.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.