Balloon Works FIRE FLY 7-B accident near Greenwood, Missouri, January 8, 1983
On January 8, 1983 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Balloon Works FIRE FLY 7-B, registered N1510D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Greenwood, Missouri. It was an instructional 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
- January 8, 1983 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Greenwood, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIRE FLY 7-B FIRE FLY 7
- Registration
- N1510D · no longer on the register · serial B7142
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT/OWNER WAS BEING INSTRUCTED BY A FREE BALLOON PLT WITH A COMMERCIAL CERTIFICATE. ACCORDING TO THE COMMERCIAL PLT, THE BALLOON HAD BEEN INFLATED, BUT THE AIR WAS STILL NOT HOT ENOUGH FOR FLT, AND THE WIND BLOWING OVER THE ENVELOPE CREATED A FALSE LIFT. THE GROUND CREW PREMATURELY RELEASED THE GROUND LINES & THE BALLOON DRIFTED TOWARD TREES APRX 200 YARDS AWAY. THE BALLOON ROSE APRX 20 FT THEN BEGAN DESCENDING. THE STUDENT WAS INSTRUCTED TO KEEP THE BURNER OPERATING; HOWEVER, A TREE LIMB CAME INTO THE SIDE OF THE BALLOON & SNAGGED A LOAD LINE. THE BALLOON THEN DRIFTED INTO 3 MORE TREES.
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: single-engine land; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 273 hours in all; 273 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 219 as pilot in command; 55 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 2, 1982; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,660 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: NONE (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.