Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 N1505F
12 July 1987 · Springfield, Michigan, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 12 July 1987 at about 12:00 local time, a Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 registered N1505F was involved in an accident near Springfield, Michigan, United States. 4 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 12:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Springfield, Michigan, United States
- Coordinates
- 42.2910, -85.2201
- Aircraft
- Balloon Works FIREFLY 7
- Registration
- N1505F
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Battle Creek → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CHI87LA167
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
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
TWO HOT AIR BALLOONS WERE INVOLVED IN A MIDAIR COLLISION DURING A SANCTIONED BALLOON COMPETITION. N40363 WAS ABLE TO RETAIN CONTROL AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. N1505F PARTIALLY DEFLATED AND DESCENDED OUT OF CONTROL TO THE GROUND. WITNESSES STATED THAT N40363 WAS THE HIGHER OF THE TWO BALLOONS AND APPEARED TO BE DESCENDING. N1505F WAS RISING AND MOVING OVER THE GROUND AT A FASTER RATE. THE GONDOLA OF N40363 CONTACTED THE ENVELOPE OF N1505F AND RIPPED A PORTION OF THE FABRIC. THE PILOT/PASSENGER OF N1505F REPORTED THAT THE PILOT, UPON CONTACT WITH N40363, PULLED THE EMERGENCY RIP PANEL, TURNED OFF THE PROPANE, AND BEGAN TO PREPARE FOR A HARD LANDING. BOTH PILOTS CLAIMED THE OTHER PILOT HAD VIOLATED CONTEST GUIDELINES.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 FIREFLY 7 | N1505F | - | Substantial |
| Raven S55A S55A | N40363 | - | Substantial |
Other Balloon Works FIREFLY accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | - |
| 5 Oct 1987 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Feb 1987 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Colo. Springs, Colorado, United States | Arthur J. Walsh | Serious injuries | - |
| 26 Mar 1987 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Park City, Utah, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 5 Apr 1987 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 8-24 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Nov 1987 | Cessna 152 | New Hudson, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Apr 1987 | Cessna 152 | Marine City, Michigan, United States | Marine City Aviation | Minor injuries | - |
| 7 Nov 1987 | Piper PA-28-161 | Detroit, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Apr 1987 | Piper PA-32-260 | Byron Center, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Apr 1987 | Piper J3C | Midland, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 May 1987 | Cessna 150J | Detroit, Michigan, United States | Charles Spicer | No injuries | - |