Air Fly Balonismo E Inflaveis AF-SS-94 N591KY
22 August 2025 · Walbridge, Ohio, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 22 August 2025 at about 23:45 local time, a Air Fly Balonismo E Inflaveis AF-SS-94 registered N591KY was involved in an accident near Walbridge, Ohio, United States. 4 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 23:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Walbridge, Ohio, United States
- Nearest airport
- Toledo Exec (TDZ)
- Coordinates
- 41.5662, -83.4658
- Aircraft
- Air Fly Balonismo E Inflaveis AF-SS-94
- Registration
- N591KY
- Category
- Balloon
- Year built
- 2025
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Toledo → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ERA25LA321
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Probable cause
The balloon pilot’s failure to see and avoid powerlines during an off-field airport landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot of the hot air balloon planned for a local sightseeing flight that departed and returned to the same airport. During the flight, the pilot realized that the balloon would not be able to return to the airport as planned, so he selected a field for an off-airport landing. During the final portion of the landing approach, one of the passengers alerted the pilot to the presence of a previously unseen powerline. Due to the balloon’s close proximity to the ground and the powerline, the pilot elected to vent the envelope and allow it to drape over the power line rather than risk the parts of the balloon between the envelope and the basket contacting the powerline. After touchdown, the envelope and the upper portion of one (steel) riser cable contacted two wires. The pilot heard a pop and saw an arc, which ultimately resulted in substantial damage to the riser cable, a quick link connector, and the envelope. The pilot and passengers were not injured. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the balloon that would have precluded normal operation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 May 2025 | Zenith STOL CH701 | Geneva, Ohio, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 14 Mar 2025 | Schweizer 269C | Mogadore, Ohio, United States | NEO Helicopter Academy LLC | Fatal | 1 |
| 25 May 2025 | Air Tractor AT-602 | Fremont, Ohio, United States | Gibbs Aero Spray | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jan 2025 | Helio HT-295 | Marion, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jun 2025 | Fred L Wellman CH 750 CRUZER | Medina, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Jun 2025 | Piper PA22 | Hebron, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |