Balloon Works FIREFLY AX-7 accident near Fort Worth, Texas, August 6, 1983
On August 6, 1983 at about 12:45 pm local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY AX-7, registered N3609C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Worth, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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
- August 6, 1983 · about 12:45 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Worth, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY AX-7 FIREFLY AX
- Registration
- N3609C · registry record · serial F7-026
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INTENDED LANDING AREA WAS A PARKING LOT. ADJACENT TO THE LOT WAS A ONE-STORY BUILDING ON TOP OF WHICH A TV ANTENNA ABOUT 20 FT ABOVE THE ROOF TOP. IN AN EFFORT TO CLEAR THE ANTENNA DURING THE DESCENT TO THE PARKING LOT, THE PLTWAS NOT AWARE OF A SET OF POWER LINES BEYOND & SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN THE ANTENNA. AFTER SAFELY CLEARING THE ANTENNA THE PLT NOTICED THE POWER LINES. FEELING THAT A VERTICAL CLIMB OVER THE LINES WAS NOT POSSIBLE, HE ELECTED TO RIP OUT THE BALLOON TOP RESULTING IN A VERTICAL DESCENT CONTACTING THE WIRES ON THE WAY TO THE GROUND.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: balloon; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 74 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 57 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, May 1, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 275° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
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.