Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 N40501
23 July 1985 · Brighton, Colorado, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 23 July 1985 at about 12:45 local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 registered N40501, operated by Maynard M. Whitney, was involved in an accident near Brighton, Colorado, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 12:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Brighton, Colorado, United States
- Coordinates
- 39.9506, -104.7893
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 7
- Registration
- N40501
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Maynard M. Whitney
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Fredrick → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DEN85FA196
People
3 people were seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 3 | 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
A HOT AIR BALLOON OWNED AND FLOWN BY THE PLT COLLIDED WITH ELECTRICAL POWER LINES DURING AN ATTEMPTED LANDING. THE BASKET OF THE BALLOON CAUGHT FIRE UPON CONTACT WITH THE WIRES. THE OCCUPANTS LEAPED FROM THE BURNING BASKET SUSTAINING SERIOUS INJURIES. THE BALLOON WAS DESTROYED.
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 | - |
| 17 Mar 1985 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Arlington, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Oct 1985 | Cessna T210NII | Sterling, Colorado, United States | Sterling Air Service | No injuries | - |
| 17 Nov 1985 | Champion 7KCAB | Berthoud, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Jan 1985 | Cessna 152 | Canon City, Colorado, United States | David Howard | Minor injuries | - |
| 16 Nov 1985 | Piper PA-38-112 | Ft. Collins, Colorado, United States | Mt. Flyers Aero Club | No injuries | - |
| 24 Nov 1985 | Cessna C-152 | Franktown, Colorado, United States | Aspen Flying Club | No injuries | - |
| 8 Feb 1985 | Cessna 152 | Englewood, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |