Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 N1534W
18 July 1988 · Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 18 July 1988 at about 23:30 local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 registered N1534W was involved in an accident near Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 23:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, United States
- Coordinates
- 40.4808, -79.4405
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 7
- Registration
- N1534W
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Murryville → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC88LA189
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
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 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.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Balloon Works FIREFLY accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Jul 1988 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 8B | Fort Collins, Colorado, United States | W Sebastian & Co | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Jan 1988 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 8-24 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Rainbow Balloon Flts | Serious injuries | - |
| 4 Oct 1988 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Stevenson, Stanley E. | No injuries | - |
| 14 May 1988 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Red Creek, New York, United States | David J. Longeill | Serious injuries | - |
| 5 Mar 1987 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7-B | Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Oct 1987 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7-B | Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States | Janet L. Hodges | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Jun 1988 | Schweizer SGS-2-33 | Erwinna, Pennsylvania, United States | Country Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 11 Jun 1988 | Piper PA-28-140 | Lehighton, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1988 | Piper PA-28-140 | Smoketown, Pennsylvania, United States | Michael L. Kuhn | No injuries | - |
| 3 Jul 1988 | Champion 7ECA | Bally, Pennsylvania, United States | Elmer E. Kramer | No injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 1988 | Cessna 152 | Hillsville, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Aug 1988 | Schweizer SGS 1-34 | Kutztown, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |