Balloon Works FIRE FLY 6B accident near Butler, Pennsylvania, February 10, 1984
On February 10, 1984 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Balloon Works FIRE FLY 6B, registered N3738H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Butler, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- February 10, 1984 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Butler, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIRE FLY 6B FIRE FLY 6
- Registration
- N3738H · registry record · serial 76B-001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A DESCENT TO LAND, THE PLT OF A BALLOON TRIED TO LEVEL OFF TO REACH A DESIRED TOUCH DOWN POINT. THE PLT ADDED HEAT, BUT THE BALLOON CONTINUED TO DESCEND. AFTER A HARD BOUNCED LANDING, THE BALLOON BEGAN TO ASCEND, BUT IT COLLIDED WITH TREE LIMBS & WAS DAMAGED.
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
- Flight time: 54 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 46 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 14, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Glade Mills PA at 12:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.