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).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 1985 · about 11:50 pm local time
- 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 · no longer on the register · 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI85LA291.