Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 accident near Brighton, Colorado, July 23, 1985
On July 23, 1985 at about 12:45 pm local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 7, registered N40501, was destroyed in an accident near Brighton, Colorado. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 1985 · about 12:45 pm local time · cases in 1985
- Place
- Brighton, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 · all FIREFLY 7s on the register
- Registration
- N40501 · registry record · serial 7936
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A HOT AIR BALLOON OWNED AND FLOWN BY THE PLT COLLIDED WITH ELECTRICAL POWER LINES DURING AN ATTEMPTED LANDING. THE BASKET OF THE BALLOON CAUGHT FIRE UPON CONTACT WITH THE WIRES. THE OCCUPANTS LEAPED FROM THE BURNING BASKET SUSTAINING SERIOUS INJURIES. THE BALLOON WAS DESTROYED.
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: 142 hours in all; 12 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: None NONE (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: C058 Fredrick CO at 12:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 315° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N40501 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 345 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Balloon Works 565 aircraft on the register
- Engine: None NONE · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,860 since 1982 · 383 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,483 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN85FA196.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.