Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 N4065D
17 March 1985 · Arlington, Texas, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 17 March 1985 at about 23:03 local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 registered N4065D was involved in an accident near Arlington, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 23:03
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Arlington, Texas, United States
- Coordinates
- 32.6892, -97.1894
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 7
- Registration
- N4065D
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW85LA153
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
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
ACCORDING TO THE PASSENGER, A GUST OF WIND CAUSED THE BALLOON TO BECOME AIRBORNE PREMATURELY AND DRIFT TOWARD PWR LINES. APRX 25 FT FROM THE WIRES THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO ABORT THE TAKEOFF BY DEFLATING THE ENVELOPE. JUST PRIOR TO WIRE CONTACT THE PASSENGER JUMPED ABOUT 25 FT TO THE GROUND. ELECTRICAL ARCING AND EXPLODING FUEL LINES CAUSED THE BASKET TO SEPARATE AND FALL TO THE TERRAIN WITH THE PLT STILL ABOARD. THE ENVELOPE CONTINUED ITS DESCENT EVENTUALLY COMING TO REST IN A SECOND SET OF PWR LINES.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Balloon Works FIREFLY accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 3 Jul 1985 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Owensboro, Kentucky, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Sep 1985 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Littleton, Colorado, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 1985 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 8 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Oct 1985 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Comstock Park, Michigan, United States | Mary Bobik | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jun 1985 | Robinson R-22 | Dallas, Texas, United States | W. N. Cope | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jun 1985 | Cessna T210N | Mineral Wells, Texas, United States | Executive Air Charter, Inc | Minor injuries | - |
| 6 Aug 1985 | Rockwell S-2R | Olton, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 1985 | Lockheed L-1011-385-1 | Dallas/Ft Worth, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 134 |
| 19 Jun 1985 | Swearingen SA-26AT | Rocksprings, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Jun 1985 | Cessna 150 | Temple, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |