Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 accident near Shawnee, Kansas, August 11, 1985
On August 11, 1985 at about 1:00 am local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 7, registered N40468, was involved in an accident near Shawnee, Kansas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 3 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
- August 11, 1985 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Shawnee, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 3 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 · all FIREFLY 7s on the register
- Registration
- N40468 · no longer on the register · serial 7902
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE COMMERCIAL BALLOON PLT WAS GIVING A RIDE TO THREE PAYING PASSENGERS. PLT STATED THAT DURING THE LANDING APCH HIGHER THAN NORMAL WINDS WERE PRESENT SO HE BRIEFED THE PASSENGERS TO LEAN AGAINST THE SIDE OF THE BASKET. HE STATED THAT HE PULLED THE DEFLATION LINE WHEN THE BASKET WAS 3 FT AGL. ONE PASSENGER GOT HER ARM UNDER THE SIDE OF THE BASKET AS IT WAS SKIDDING AND RECEIVED LACERATIONS. AFTER SHE WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL, SHE WAS FOUND TO HAVE TWO COMPRESSED VERTEBRAE.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 534 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 320 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 18, 1985; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 135° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 8:15 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.
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.