Raven S55A N81DS
13 January 1985 · Littleton, Colorado, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 13 January 1985 at about 16:15 local time, a Raven S55A registered N81DS was involved in an accident near Littleton, Colorado, 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 16:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Littleton, Colorado, United States
- Coordinates
- 39.5903, -105.0101
- Aircraft
- Raven S55A
- Registration
- N81DS
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Chatfield Reser → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DEN85LA078
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 BALLOON ENVELOPE COLLIDED WITH POWER LINES AFTER DRAGGING THE BASKET & OCCUPANTS APRX 200 YARDS ALONG AN OPEN FLD AND THROUGH A FENCE WHICH DAMAGED THE BASKET CONTAINING THE OCCUPANTS. THE BALLOON PLT SAID THAT THE WIND WAS ONLY 5 KTS AT TAKEOFF BUT AFTER 30 MINUTES OF FLT A WIND DESCRIBED BY THE PLT AS 'SHEER (SIC) FROM APRX 150 FT TO SURFACE, 30-35 MPH-FLAPGS ON FLAG POLES STANDING STRAIGHT OUT-LOOKED FOR LNDG AREA-VENTED THE BALLOON & PREPARED FOR LNDG.' FURTHER ATATEMENT BY THE PLT CONTAINED INFO THAT THE VENT OPENING CREATED A SAIL EFFECT TO INCREASE THE RESULTANT DRAG. PLT ALSO SAID, 'TRIED PULLING TOP OUT OF BALLOON BUT ONLY 1/3 OF TOP RELEASED CAUSING A DRAGGING EFFECT.' THE BALLOON ENVELOPE FINALLY CONTACTED & DRAPED OVER THE POWER LINES & WAS DAMAGED DURING THE CONTACT & LATER DURING REMOVAL. INTERVIEWS WITH SEVERAL COMMERCIAL BALLOON PLTS & A REPRESENTATIVE OF RAVEN INDUSTRIES, SIOUX FALLS, SD, REVEALED THAT MOST BALLOON PLTS CAN EXPECT A SAFE LNDG IN WINDS OF 10 MPH OR LESS & A RISK IN HIGHER WINDS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Raven S55A accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Dec 1986 | Raven S55A/AX7 | Peoria, Arizona, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 29 Aug 1984 | Raven S55A | Littleton, Colorado, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 30 Sep 1984 | Raven S55A | Prairie City, Iowa, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 15 Jul 1984 | Raven S55A | Lakeville, New York, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 29 May 1983 | Raven S55A | Rockford, Illinois, United States | David M. Sgricca | Serious injuries | - |
| 28 Feb 1988 | Raven S55A | Los Lunas, New Mexico, 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 | - |
| 17 Nov 1985 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 6B | Englewood, Colorado, United States | J. Robert Pendleton | 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 | - |