Balloon Works FIRE FLY 7 N3749W
7 April 1984 · Moorpark, California, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 7 April 1984 at about 15:58 local time, a Balloon Works FIRE FLY 7 registered N3749W was involved in an accident near Moorpark, California, United States. 5 people were on board and 5 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 15:58
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Moorpark, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 35.8609, -119.4591
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIRE FLY 7
- Registration
- N3749W
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Observation
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Moorpark → Morepark
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX84LA252
People
5 people were seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0 | 5 | 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 PLT REPORTED THAT AFTER COMPLETING THE 2ND FLT OF THE MORNING, HE CHANGED THE FUEL TANK & ACQUIRED NEW PASSENGERS. HE STATED THAT DURING THE 1ST 2 FLTS, THE BALLOON HAD NOT DRIFTED MORE THAN 100 YDS FROM ITS POINT OF LIFT-OFF. AS THE BALLOON ASCENDED ON THE 3RD FLT, THE WIND CONDITION CHANGED. AT ABOUT 10 FT AGL, IT BEGAN DRIFTING TOWARD NEARBY POWER LINES. AS SOON AS THE PLT REALIZED THE BALLOON WOULD NOT CLEAR THE LINES, HE GRABBED THE VENT ROPE TO RIP THE TOP; HOWEVER, THE BALLOON DRIFTED INTO THE POWER LINES. STEEL CABLES SUSPENDING THE GONDOLA TOUCHED THE POWER LINES & A SHOWER OF SPARKS DEVELOPED. ALL OCCUPANTS WERE SERIOUSLY BURNED WHEN BITS OF HOT METAL CONTACTED THEIR HEADS, NECKS & BACKS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Balloon Works FIRE accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Mar 1984 | Balloon Works FIRE FLY 8-24 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 Apr 1984 | Balloon Works FIRE FLY 6B | Prescott Valley, Arizona, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 10 Feb 1984 | Balloon Works FIRE FLY 6B | Butler, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 1984 | Balloon Works FIRE FLY 8-24 | Yountville, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 Jan 1983 | Balloon Works FIRE FLY 7-B | Greenwood, Missouri, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Jul 1983 | Balloon Works FIRE FLY 7 | Ellsworth, Kansas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Jan 1984 | Cessna 401A | San Francisco, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Aug 1984 | Eipper QUICKSILVER MX | Thousand Oaks, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 5 Feb 1984 | Hughes 500C (369HS) | San Diego, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 5 Feb 1984 | Cessna 180J | Hayward, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 14 Jul 1984 | Piper PA-31T | Concord, California, United States | - | Fatal | 6 |
| 5 Feb 1984 | Cessna 150M | Fremont, California, United States | Fremont Flying Service | No injuries | - |