Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 accident near Del Norte, Colorado, May 30, 1983
On May 30, 1983 at about 5:20 pm local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 7, registered N1516S, was involved in an accident near Del Norte, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 3 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
- May 30, 1983 · about 5:20 pm local time
- Place
- Del Norte, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 3 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 · all FIREFLY 7s on the register
- Registration
- N1516S · no longer on the register · serial 11086
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE CIRCUMNAVIGATING SNOW SHOWERS AT NIGHT IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN THE PLT ELECTED TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING ON A HIGHWAY. THE ACFT STRUCK TREES ON A HILLSIDE THAT THE PLT HADN'T SEEN IN THE DARKNESS.
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: 75 hours in all; 53 in this make and model; 8 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 146 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, April 10, 1983; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,660 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Balloon Ranch CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.