Balloon Works FIREFLY N1527F
19 February 1982 · Phoenix, Arizona, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 19 February 1982 at about 17:00 local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY registered N1527F, operated by C. G. Catallo, was involved in an accident near Phoenix, Arizona, 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 17:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Phoenix, Arizona, United States
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY
- Registration
- N1527F
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- C. G. Catallo
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Phoenix → Phoenix
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX82FUJ28
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 PILOT WAS LANDING IN A VACANT LOT WHEN THE LIGHT AND VARIABLE WIND SHIFTED AND STARTED BLOWING THE BALLOON TOWARD POWERLINES. JUST PRIOR TO THE WIND SHIFT, THE BALLOON WAS DESCENDING RAPIDLY. RATHER THAN MAKE A HARD LANDING, THE PILOT TRIED TO "BURN" HIS WAY OUT, BUT WAS UNABLE TO CLIMB FAST ENOUGH TO MISS THE WIRES. AFTER CONTACTING THE WIRES, THE SUSPENSION CABLES FROM THE BASKET TO THE ENVELOPE WERE BURNED IN TWO. THE BASKET AND OCCUPANTS FELL ABOUT 14 FT TO THE GROUND. ALSO, A POWERLINE WAS SEVERED BY ARCING.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Balloon Works FIREFLY accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jun 1982 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 6 | Hudson, Iowa, United States | Dock Built Homes, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jul 1982 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Greenville, South Carolina, United States | James I. Mount | No injuries | - |
| 4 Oct 1982 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Leonard Barad | No injuries | - |
| 2 Oct 1982 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Piuma Aircraft | Serious injuries | - |
| 20 May 1982 | Balloon Works FIREFLY-7 | Wyoming, Michigan, United States | Schelde Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 9 Oct 1983 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Dorr, Michigan, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Mar 1982 | Cessna 150G | Tucson, Arizona, United States | David G. Lepo | No injuries | - |
| 16 Mar 1982 | Beechcraft 58 | Tucson, Arizona, United States | Valley National Bank | Fatal | 1 |
| 10 Mar 1982 | Hatz CB-1 | Tucson, Arizona, United States | R A Chaney JR | No injuries | - |
| 14 Dec 1982 | Beechcraft K35 | Tucson, Arizona, United States | Kerley Chemical Corp. | Fatal | 1 |
| 21 Nov 1982 | Bell 47G-3B-1 | Tucson, Arizona, United States | RRT Investments, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 25 Dec 1982 | Mooney M20A | Gila Bend, Arizona, United States | George Wesley Epps, JR. | Serious injuries | - |