FAA incident report · Raven S55A · Louisville, KY · August 14, 1984
From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Freak gust of wind broke balloons single tether. Struck another balloon and 5 autos after pilot had ripped out top.
FREAK GUST OF WIND BROKE BALLOONS SINGLE TETHER. STRUCK ANOTHER BALLOON AND 5 AUTOS AFTER PILOT HAD RIPPED OUT TOP.