Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 N1537D
24 June 1984 · Geneva, Illinois, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 24 June 1984 at about 01:00 local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 registered N1537D was involved in an accident near Geneva, Illinois, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 01:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Geneva, Illinois, United States
- Coordinates
- 41.8792, -88.3097
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 7
- Registration
- N1537D
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Geneva → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CHI84LA260
People
2 people were seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE BALLOON DESCENDED IN AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS AND TURBULENCE AND COLLIDED WITH TREES. THE PLT SAID THE BALLOON 'CAVED IN' AND DESCENDED RAPIDLY. THE PLTS HUSBAND AND A PASSENGER REVEALED THAT THE BALLOON WAS 'VENTED' BY THE PLT TO LAND BEFORE REACHING A POWER STATION AFTER BEING 'SUCKED' UP TOWARD A CLOUD. TWO OF THE 16 BALLOONIST ABORTED THE FLT BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER. THE ACCIDENT PLT SAW CLOUD BUILDUPS BEFORE DEPARTURE BUT WAS INFORMED THEY WERE DISSAPATING.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Balloon Works FIREFLY accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Apr 1984 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7B | Fargo, North Dakota, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 27 May 1984 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Amarillo, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 24 Jun 1984 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Overland Park, Kansas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Sep 1984 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Nov 1985 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 6B | Englewood, Colorado, United States | J. Robert Pendleton | Minor injuries | - |
| 7 Apr 1985 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7B | Orlando, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Nov 1984 | Piper PA-22-135 | Plainfield, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Jun 1984 | Beechcraft 99 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 Dec 1984 | Cessna 150C | Hampshire, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Jun 1984 | McDonnell Douglas DC-8-73 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Jun 1984 | McDonnell Douglas DC-8-54 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Dec 1984 | Cessna 182K | Lincoln, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |