Balloon Works FIREFLY 7-B accident near Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, March 5, 1987
On March 5, 1987 at about 1:15 pm local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 7-B, registered N15253, was substantially damaged in an accident near Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. 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
- March 5, 1987 · about 1:15 pm local time
- Place
- Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 7-B FIREFLY 7- · all FIREFLY 7-Bs on the register
- Registration
- N15253 · no longer on the register · serial 10330
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE BALLOON DRIFTED INTO POWER LINES JUST AFTER LIFTOFF. THE PILOT STATED HE WAS HOOKING UP A NEW TEMPERATURE GAUGE AND DID NOT NOTICE THAT THE BALLOON WAS DESCENDING.
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: 201 hours in all; 201 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 183 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 244 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 15, 1987
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: None NONE (type not recorded); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 2:00 pm from TUL
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.