Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 accident near Park City, Utah, March 26, 1987
On March 26, 1987 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 7, registered N1521G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Park City, Utah. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 26, 1987 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Park City, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 · all FIREFLY 7s on the register
- Registration
- N1521G · registry record · serial 11113
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE BALLOON WAS LANDING IN AN OPEN FIELD AND STRUCK A ROCK. ONE PAX HAD PREPARED FOR HARD LANDING AND ONE HAD ELECTED TO CONTINUE FILMING. THE PHOTOGRAPHER WAS THROWN FORWARD OUT OF THE BASKET AND THE BASKET PASSED OVER HIM, COMING TO REST 50 FEET AWAY.
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: 130 hours in all; 130 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 130 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 2, 1987; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- 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 140° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.