Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Amarillo, Texas 79121
Sunday, May 27, 1984 8:40 CDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
DURING A PRE-FLT BREIFING, THE WIND WAS REPORTED TO BE FROM 280 DEG AT 6 TO 12 KTS. AT LAUNCH TIME, THE PLT ESTIMATED THE WIND WAS BLOWING AT 7 KTS. HE TOOK OFF AT 0720 CDT WITHOUT DIFFICULTY & CLIMBED TO ABOUT 1000 FT AGL. APRX 1 HR AFTER TAKING OFF, THE PLT TRIED TO LAND, BUT REPORTED AN ENCOUNTER WITH TURBULENCE & WIND SHEAR INDICATING THE WIND HAD INCREASED. HE DECIDED TO FLY TO WHERE THE TERRAIN WAS 'BROKEN' & HE COULD 'EXPECT A BETTER WINDBREAK.' AT ABOUT 10 FT AGL, HE 'RIPPED OUT.' THE BALLOON CONTACTED THE GROUND & DRAGGED APRX 100 YDS, CAME TO A BRIEF STOP, & BLEW ANOTHER 10 TO 15 FT. AT THAT POINT, ONE PASSENGER FELL OUT OF THE BASKET. THE BASKET WAS BLOWN OVER HER & BROKE HER ARM. ACCORDING TO THE PLT, HE HAD PROPERLY BRIEFED THE PASSENGERS ON THE APPROPRIATE PROCEDURES FOR THE PREVAILING WIND.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Not Yet Reported
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 5/27/1984 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 840 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Daylight Time |
| Event City | AMARILLO |
| Event State | TEXAS |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 79121 |
| Event Date Year | 1984 |
| Event Date Month | 5 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| Time of the weather observation | 840 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 5 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 23 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -18 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 225 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 25 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Serious |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 1 |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1774 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | 0 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 25653 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 9:15AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N3610R |
| NTSB Number | FTW84LA254 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | None |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | BALLOON WORKS |
| Aircraft Model | FIREFLY 7 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | FIREFLY 7 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | F7-031 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1660 |
| Aircraft Category | Balloon |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | -- |
| Number of Engines | -- |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | May 3 1984 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 1 |
| Airframe Hours | 27 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | DONALD J. ELWELL |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 7609 CERVIN |
| Aircraft Owner City | AMARILLO |
| Aircraft Owner State | TX |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 79121 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | |
| Departure City | AMARILLO |
| Departure State | TX |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 720 |
| Departure Time Zone | CDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Landing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:36AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |