Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 accident near Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, July 18, 1988
On July 18, 1988 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 7, registered N1534W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Saltsburg, Pennsylvania. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 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
- July 18, 1988 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Saltsburg, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 · all FIREFLY 7s on the register
- Registration
- N1534W · no longer on the register · serial 10209
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT LAUNCHED ON A LOCAL BALLOON SIGHT-SEEING FLIGHT AT 1850 LOCAL TIME WITH THE FORECAST OF THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY TO COMMENCE IN THE AREA AFTER MIDNIGHT. AFTER 40 MINS OF SMOOTH FLT, THE TEMP DROPPED SHARPLY AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER TURBULENCE WAS ENCOUNTERED WHICH BEGAN TO TEAR PANELS IN THE ENVELOPE, RESULTING IN AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT INTO TREES. WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE SIMILAR TO THOSE ENCOUNTERED DURING A FRONTAL PASSAGE.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 885 hours in all; 270 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 818 as pilot in command; 13 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 272 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 4, 1988; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Murryville PA at 11:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.